Jeb Bush

On Iraq

In an interview with Fox News in May of 2015, Bush said he would have authorized the use of force in Iraq.

“I would have [authorized the invasion], and so would have Hillary Clinton, just to remind everybody. And so would almost everybody that was confronted with the intelligence they got.”

Bush did admit that mistakes were made:

“By the way, guess who thinks that those mistakes took place as well? George W. Bush,” Jeb Bush said. “Yes, I mean, so just for the news flash to the world, if they’re trying to find places where there’s big space between me and my brother, this might not be one of those.”[[1]]

"I'm not going to go out of my way to say that my brother did this wrong or my dad did this wrong," Bush added. "It's just not going to happen." [[2]]

After on outcry over his professed support for the Iraq War, Bush tried to walk back his comments, saying he misinterpreted the question. A few days later he completely reversed himself, stating ""Here's the deal: If we're all supposed to answer hypothetical questions, knowing what we know now, what would you have done, I would have not engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq." [[3]]

Bush took a different approach early on when the invasion was starting. Speaking to Florida reporters in 2003, Jeb Bush said about Iraq: "I know [George W. Bush] is doing what he thinks is right, and I concur with him.” [[4]]

“I have never disagreed with [George W. Bush]… ‘til death do us part." (CNN interview from 2010 with former President George W. Bush) [[5]]

“History will be kind to my brother [on Iraq] the further out you get from this and the more people compare his tenure to what’s going on now." Jeb Bush in an NBC interview from 2013. [[6]]

On Climate Change

Responding to the Pope's call for action on climate change. [[7]] “The climate is changing and I’m concerned about that,” Bush responded. “But to be honest with you, I’m more concerned about the hollowing out of our country, the hollowing out of our industrial core, the hollowing out of our ability to compete in an increasingly competitive world.”

“The climate is changing and I’m concerned about that,” Bush responded. “But to be honest with you, I’m more concerned about the hollowing out of our country, the hollowing out of our industrial core, the hollowing out of our ability to compete in an increasingly competitive world.”[[8]] 2015 interview.

"The climate is changing, whether men are doing it or not." In a 2015 interview [[9]]

“[It's] not unanimous among scientists that [global warming] is disproportionately manmade...What I get a little tired of on the left is this idea that somehow science has decided all this so you can’t have a view." 2012 interview with Fox News. [[10]]

Top Donors

Jeb Bush is candidate for the 2016 Republican nomination for President. He previously served as the Governor of Florida. Bush has a Super Pac called "Right to Rise," which according to numerous reports has been raising a "historic" amount of money for the candidate. Bush and Right to Rise have until mid-July to file a public campaign finance report. Currently, Bush's top donors have not been revealed. However, The Intercept has been gathering information on donations to Bush that have been publicly reported so far. [[11]]

1. Growing Florida’s Future- $25,000

2. George Salem- $10,000

3. Glenn Youngkin- $10,000

4. Ignacio Sanchez- $5,000

5. The Florida Conservative Leadership Fund- $5,000

6. Liberty Florida- $5,000

7. Treasure Coast PAC- $1,000

Other donors to Bush's campaign, who's amount donated has not yet been publicly disclosed, according to The Intercept include "private equity heavyweights Lewis Eisenberg and Henry Kravis sponsored a fundraising dinner for Bush. In the Bay Area, venture capitalists Bill Oberndorf and Bill Draper have hosted Right to Rise events. At the Right to Rise’s luncheon in San Francisco in early April, we identified Ron Conway, an investor to Twitter and Facebook, making his way into the event."

From The Intercept about Bush's campaign finance haul "When the full data is released in July, some expect the entire haul to rise to as much as $100 million."

Tax Returns

Bush released 33 years worth of tax returns on June 30. In the returns, Bush reported a total income of 44.3 million dollars over those 33 years. He reported paying 14.9 million dollars in taxes in that time, which translates to a 34 percent tax rate. But as the Huffington Post wrote in a June 30 article, Bush's tax returns reveal very little about his connections to Wall Street:

"The Bush campaign voluntarily disclosed details about the candidate's speaking and consulting fees to select reporters, telling Bloomberg News that he earned $1.3 million a year from failed investment banking titan Lehman Brothers, and $2 million a year from British banking giant Barclays. Both firms have been embroiled in scandal since the 2008 financial crisis, with Lehman filing for bankruptcy and Barclays pleading guilty to manipulating key interest rates and being fined by U.S. regulators for rigging energy markets. The Bush campaign also told reporters that Bush has reaped $9.9 million in speaking fees since leaving office.

"None of those figures can be verified from Bush's tax returns. That's because the payouts were routed through a company he heads called Jeb Bush and Associates. While Jeb Bush the candidate reports annual payments from that firm to the Internal Revenue Service, he does not detail the original sources of that income. The maneuver was confirmed to HuffPost by a Bush campaign spokesperson." [[12]]

Ratings from interest groups

[[13]]

Other Wikis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeb_Bush

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jeb_Bush

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/Bush_John_Ellis_Jeb