Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is continuing to thrust himself into the political spotlight.
Wednesday morning in Chicago, Bush walked up to the podium to speak about foreign policy, while making sure to address his relation to the White House.
“Each president learns from those who came before – their principles, their adjustments,” Bush said. “One thing we know is this: every president inherits a changing world and changing circumstances.”
Those changing circumstances center around the turmoil in the Middle East with threats from the Islamic State. He also criticized President Barack Obama for what he calls making empty threats to Syria and Iran.
“He did say he wanted to increase defense spending,” said Republican Political Analyst Michelle Ertel. “But what this administration has done, the current administration, the Obama administration, is they have really dropped the ball on ISIS.”
“At a time when he should be differentiating himself from his brother,” said Democratic Political Analyst Jeremiah Jaspon. “What he’s doing is trumpeting the same drumbeat regarding foreign policy and trumpeting the beat of war.”
Bush praised his brother’s decision to increase troops in Iraq, calling it a heroic act, while trying to separate himself from his family’s legacy, insisting his foreign policies are his own.
“I admire their service to the nation and the difficult decisions that they had to make,” Bush said. “But I’m my own man and my views are shaped by my own thinking and my own experiences.”
Political experts agree speeches like this are laying the groundwork to get his name on the ballot in the 2016 presidential campaign.
“It’s the worst kept secret in politics,” Jaspon said. “He hasn’t officially put his name in there. Obviously he’s raising money. He’s giving these speeches.”
“First he released his emails and now he’s going out there and giving a foreign policy speech,” Ertel said. “I think this guy is getting ready to run.”
It’s a decision that may be announced in future policy speeches.