There are a few unmistakable signs that a candidate is about to declare his run for the White House. His travel schedule is suddenly peppered with appointments in small-town Iowa and New Hampshire. He's on Sunday morning talk shows every week trashing the opposition or talking up his narrative.
Or maybe he suddenly decides to release all 250,000 emails from his tenure as governor, as well as an eBook about his policy plans.
That's exactly what Jeb Bush promised to do yesterday, fueling headlines that the Coral Gables resident has all but punched a ticket to the GOP primaries.
See also: Jeb Bush Sure Is Acting Like a Guy About to Run For President
Jeb's promises came in an interview that aired last night on Channel 10 with Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg.
For more than forty minutes, Jeb parlays with the two hosts and sounds every inch a guy casting his hat in the ring to be president. He defends his immigration stances -- which have bucked the GOP by suggesting that those sneaking across the border are mostly just people trying to feed their families -- and education policy.
And he pledged to release that giant trove of emails -- perhaps a not-so-subtle rebuke of current Gov. Rick Scott's dodgy email transparency, which has left the governor fighting a civil case over claims that he's kept a secret, private email where he's illegally done state business.
Asked about his presidential ambitions, Jeb sounded the same wait-and-see message he's leaned on this year, telling Channel 10 that "end of this year, early next year, I'll make a decision."
Bush has lead many early polls of potential GOP candidates -- easily outpacing fellow Miami dark horse Marco Rubio -- but he does still face some big hurdles.
For one, his past decade of work in private business -- not all of it particularly savory in the years after the financial meltdown -- hint at some potentially dangerous skeletons in the closet.
Jeb's immediate family has also reportedly been lukewarm on stepping into the spotlight of a presidential campaign.
But it's tough to watch that Channel 10 sitdown and come away with any other impression than that another Bush is soon set to be a leading candidate for the White House.
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