Palm Beach Post, FL
Jan 1 2005

Bush sending brother Jeb to Asia seen as savvy

By Dara Kam
Special to the Palm Beach Post

TALLAHASSEE – Political experts say President Bush’s decision to send
his brother to grief-stricken Asia is a savvy move to stem criticism
of the United States’ initial response to one of the world’s worst
natural disasters.

It also may set the stage for Gov. Jeb Bush’s own run at the White
House in 2008, despite his insistence he is headed back to the
business world in Miami. The governor’s staff says he is perfectly
suited for the mission after overseeing disaster relief in Florida
following four hurricanes.

“It’s not that he brings a special expertise about emergency
management,” Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of
Virginia, said Friday. “It’s that he’s the president’s brother, and
symbols are important. This is partly a public-relations operation.
The president got off on the wrong foot here and got a lot of
criticism.”

The United States initially pledged $15 million in aid, boosting that
to $35 million and then on Friday to $350 million. U.S. patrol and
cargo aircraft have been sent to Thailand, and an aircraft carrier
and other ships have been ordered to the region to aid in disaster
recovery, the president said Friday.

Gov. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell will lead a delegation
to the region to meet with leaders and determine what assistance the
United States can provide, a State Department official said.

The team will depart Sunday from Andrews Air Force Base near
Washington. Gov. Bush plans to return Thursday, but Powell will stay
for an international summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

President Bush tapped his brother because of “his extensive
experience in the state of Florida with relief, rehabilitation and
reconstruction efforts following natural disasters,” the White House
said in a statement.

“He’s also the president’s brother – I think it signifies the high
level of importance that the president puts on this delegation,”
White House spokesman Trent Duffy said.

This is the first time President Bush has called on his brother to
represent the country on such a high-profile mission. The appointment
came after the president was criticized by international officials
for his slow response to the earthquake and tsunami.

Gov. Bush received high praise for his handling of the four
hurricanes that ravaged Florida during a six-week period in August
and September. In 1988, when the Bush brothers’ father was
president-elect, Jeb Bush led an aid mission to Armenia following an
earthquake.

“The governor has… a lot of experience dealing with recovery,
first-responding efforts, rebuilding,” said Alia Faraj, a spokeswoman
for Gov. Bush.

The governor’s relationship with the president will benefit the
affected countries, the University of Virginia’s Sabato said, because
“what he sees and hears is going to go straight to the Oval Office.”

Despite his contention that he is not interested in a presidential
bid, the governor’s trip elevates his stature.

“It’s going to cause tongues to wag again about a Jeb Bush candidacy
for presidency in 2008 despite his frequent denials of it,” Sabato
said. “No doubt the other candidates for president are probably
jealous.”

Lance deHaven-Smith, a Florida State University political scientist,
went further.

“I take it to be a clear indication that he’s interested in higher
office,” he said. “When you watch his denials about not running for
president, he says, ‘I like the job I’m doing.’ You never him say,
‘I’ll never run for president.’ It’s a masterful appointment to send
him overseas.”