Former President George W. Bush predicts he’ll still get along with the man he succeeded in office in the event that his brother, Jeb, takes on former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in the next presidential election.
Mr. Bush, in an excerpt of an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, speaks fondly of the relationship his father, former President George H.W. Bush, was able to foster with former President Bill Clinton after the 1992 presidential election, in which Mr. Clinton denied the elder Mr. Bush, the 41st president, a second term in office.
“Yeah, they became good friends — which speaks volumes about both,” the younger Mr. Bush says in the interview.
The 43rd president says that a potential showdown in the 2016 presidential election between Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, and Mrs. Clinton “means that Bill and I are going to have to have some interesting things to talk about.”
“Look, I’ll still like him if Jeb — when Jeb beats Hillary,” Mr. Bush said.
Mr. Bush, in recent interviews timed with the release of a new book on his father, has said he hopes his brother will enter what is shaping up to be a crowded Republican presidential field in 2016. Mrs. Clinton is seen as the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic nomination if she decides to run.
“Look, I don’t know if he’s going to run, I really don’t,” Mr. Bush says. “I hope he does ’cause he’d be a great president.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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