Bush 43: ‘I hope Jeb runs’

Former President George W. Bush on Thursday said he hopes his brother Jeb runs for president in 2016, but added he has “no clue” what’s on his mind.

“I hope Jeb runs. I think he would be a great president,” Bush said in an interview on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper. ”I have no clue what’s on his mind. And we’ll talk when he’s ready,”

{mosads}Any announcement, Bush said, might come during the spring of 2015.

“I’m also pretty confident he won’t be making any definitive decision until after the 2014 elections. It’s probably right about this time next year, I would guess,” he said.

Tapper pointed out former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) has been doing well in 2016 presidential polls.

“That don’t mean anything for him,” the former president said. “I can guarantee he’s not looking at a poll to decide whether or not he wants to run.”

“He’s checking his core,” Bush added, explaining that his brother is aware of the effects a presidential run has on family.

The 43rd president also touted his brother’s qualifications: he’s been an “effective” chief executive of a big state, Bush said, and he could reach out to voters disenchanted with the Republican Party. 

“I’m confident he can reach out to people that may at this point feel like the Republican Party doesn’t listen to them,” Bush said.

Jeb, who would be 63 at the time of the 2016 election, served as governor of the Sunshine State from 1999 until 2007.