Another President Bush in the Making?
George P. Bush may be positioned to carry on his family's political legacy.
Oct. 30, 2009— -- George Bush soon may be serving in George Bush's war.
The Bush in question is George P. Bush, the 33-year-old eldest son of former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., who's widely viewed as the heir to the family's political legacy.
"P" now works at a real-estate private equity firm in Austin, Texas, where he's stepped up his longstanding efforts to reach out to Hispanic Republicans by starting a new political action committee.
He's also preparing for possible deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan as a member of the Navy Reserves, where he's served since 2007 as an intelligence officer.
"It's been communicated to me that it's not a question of 'if,' it's a question of 'when,'" Bush said of possible overseas deployment, in an interview this week with The Daily Beast. "It's just a matter of time."
The possibility of his being sent into a war zone -- combined with a new political action committee he's forming to help recruit Latino Republican candidates in Texas -- has renewed speculation of an eventual return to the family business for a man who has an uncle and a grandfather who became president.
"Come on -- jump on in," said Michelle Dean, national communications director for the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. That organization was launched by George P. Bush's grandfather, George H.W. Bush, when he was chairman of the Republican National Committee in the early 1970s.
Dean said George P. is "absolutely huge" among Hispanic Republicans, owing to his Latino heritage -- his mother is from Mexico -- fluent Spanish, famous name and the good looks that once earned him a place on People magazine's list of 100 top bachelors. (He's since gotten married.)
If he gets into politics, "He'll have an immediate base," she said. "And with his PAC -- I think that's going to be just huge."
The recent developments suggest to some political observers that Bush is game-planning a run for office, using Texas -- with its fast-growing segment of Latino voters -- as something of a base.