George W. Bush dusts off crystal ball, predicts victory for Jeb

Former US President George W. Bush, who famously predicted - wrongly - that Iraqis would welcome US troops with flowers, is back in the soothsaying business again, this time predicting that his brother Jeb Bush would win the 2016 election.

George W. Bush, who joined Jeb on the campaign trail for the first time this cycle on Monday night, said during a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, that his brother is the best choice for “the serious job” of the presidency.

South Carolina is the third state to vote in the race to pick a Republican nominee for the White House. Jeb failed to register any strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz won the Iowa caucuses, beating billionaire Donald Trump and Florida Senator Marco Rubio in a tight contest. And in New Hampshire, Trump won with a big margin, beating Ohio Governor John Kasich and Cruz. According to recent polls, Trump is set to repeat New Hampshire feat in South Carolina as well.

Jeb Bush, who was once considered Republican frontrunner, finished in sixth place in the Iowa caucuses and in fourth place in New Hampshire.

In an apparent reference to Trump, George W. Bush said, "There seems to be a lot of name calling but, as our Dad once told us, labels are for soup cans.”

"I understand these are tough times and people are angry and frustrated. But we do not need someone in the Oval Office who mirrors our anger and frustration. Strength is not bluster and theatrics. The strongest person isn't the loudest one in the room," he added.

“The presidency is a serious job that requires sound judgment and good ideas,” he continued.

“Jeb will listen to the voices of the disenfranchised. He will rise above the petty name-calling. Once elected, he won’t need a poll or focus group to tell him what to do,” the former president stated.

Observers say the appearance of George W. Bush on the campaign trail may help Jeb with South Carolina Republicans who like the former president, but the elder Bush’s legacy of launching wars may hurt Jeb’s candidacy.

In a heated exchange between Jeb and Trump during the ninth Republican presidential debate on Saturday night, the New York billionaire blamed George W. Bush for the collapse of the World Trade Center and the death of 3,000 Americans in New York on September 11, 2001.

“The World Trade Center came down during your brother’s reign, remember that,” Trump said, after Jeb declared that he was “sick and tired of him going after my family.”

In a recent interview with Press TV, American scholar Dr. Kevin Barrett said Jeb Bush was once the presumptive Republican Party nominee but Trump has destroyed Bush’s candidacy.

“[Jeb] Bush hasn’t done himself any favors. He hasn’t given anybody a compelling reason to vote for him. But I think the real reason that Bush’s campaign has been destroyed is exactly the same reason that Rudy Giuliani’s campaign was destroyed back in 2008 – and that is that just as with Giuliani, Jeb Bush is a 9/11 criminal, who participated in the destruction of the World Trade Center and the murder of almost 3,000 Americans,” Dr. Barrett said.

He added that Trump destroyed Jeb’s candidacy by repeatedly challenging him “on 9/11 by saying that 9/11 was the fault of George W. Bush, which is true in more ways than one.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk