Rat Bastard Jeb Bush

Why Jeb Bush was an official 2016 candidate for just three seconds Wednesday

By Jose A. DelReal

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush basically admitted that he's running for president during a huddle with reporters Wednesday in Nevada — before abruptly backtracking to qualify his remarks with a big, awkward "...if I run."

The accidental almost-declaration came after The Post's Ed O'Keefe asked Bush, "Is there any way you would have done things differently than your brother [George W. Bush]?" And Bush's response was notably clumsy.

"I'm running for president in 2016 and the focus is going to be about how we -- if I run, how we create high, sustained economic growth where more people have a chance at earned success."

So he took it back pretty quickly. So why does it matter?

In short, it's all about the money.

So long as the former Florida governor continues to insist publicly that he hasn't made up his mind about running, he can continue working alongside his allied super PAC — which shares a name with his "Right to Rise" leadership PAC — without being subject to campaign finance regulations that would prevent his campaign from coordinating with the committee.

And that allows him to continue raising unlimited sums of money, which he'll need to capture the GOP nomination. The Post's Matea Gold and Robert Costa reported on Bush's strategy last week:

"In particular, Bush’s backers wonder when he is going to formally get in the race and start making his case to voters in earnest.

The answer: not any time soon. Bush, who has already stockpiled record sums, intends to hold back from officially declaring his bid for at least another month, people familiar with the plan said.

The strategy is being driven by a confident, tightly knit group of Bush advisers who are focused on amassing as much money as possible for his allied super PAC on the theory that a considerable cash advantage will enable Bush to outlast his competitors."

Aides said that Bush's comments weren't intentional and won't formally trigger a campaign, noting that he said several times that he's still undecided about running for president during his town hall meeting and in his confab with reporters.