Jeb and Charlie, together at last ...

To raise money for the GOP. (click image to enlarge).

UPDATE: Bush is not expected to attend, having a prior obligation.

AFSCME to withdraw from voting lawsuit

Seems the League of Women Voters of Florida won't have one of the state's bigger employee unions helping it carry its complaint against the state over its enforcement of voter registration laws (see previous post here). American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 79 (AFSCME), will be withdrawing as a plaintiff, union spokesman Doug Martin said Tuesday.

The reason? Martin told the Buzz the union's relationship with the governor is different than his predecessor, Jeb Bush, and it's not interested in being in litigation against Charlie Crist at this point.

-- Joni James, State Editor

Jeb: Yes on killing gators, no on VP

DALLAS (AP) — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says he is "light green" on the environment and is skeptical that humans are causing global warming. Bush, whose two terms ended in 2007, also said Wednesday he "can’t imagine" running for national office and isn’t interested in being Sen. John McCain’s running mate.

The younger brother of President George W. Bush made the comments during an address to several hundred business people meeting in a hotel ballroom. Earlier in the day, Bush met with other directors of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp., the hospital chain whose board he joined last year....

...Bush told the Texas audience how he repeatedly vetoed spending state money to market alligator meat. "Alligators proliferate in Florida. They eat small dogs," Bush said. "We don’t need to market them, we need to kill them." After a slight pause, he added, "Is this open to the press?"...

Jeb warns Crist about 'narcotic' of gambling

In a rare interview, Jeb Bush tells Florida Baptist Witness that he isn't trying to criticize Gov. Charlie Crist, but makes clear his repulsion to gambling and warns state leaders to resist the "narcotic" of easy money.

“I think gambling is a vivid example of a culture that demands immediate gratification," giving an “impression that you can achieve things without work" and "that luck matters," the former governor said. As such, gambling is a “deterrence for true economic development."

Bush also praised House Speaker Marco Rubio's effort to stymie the gambling expansion and said he agreed that the Legislature should have some oversight of any compact with the Seminole Tribe. Several times, however, Bush says he is not aware of all that went into the accord struck by Crist. "So, I don’t want to pass judgment on his efforts."

Jeb chuckling over Democrats' mess

Florida Baptist Witness: "Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush could barely contain his amusement at the Democrat Party’s Florida and Michigan delegate dilemma in its tightly contested presidential race, saying it’s “ironic beyond belief” that the party which accused him and other Republicans of suppressing the vote in the 2000 Florida presidential election re-count now “got themselves in a hole” of “their own doing.”

“My thoughts are filled with irony that every vote should count,” Bush said with a broad smile. “I mean this brings back memories of hyperbole and anger, mock anger …. It was a political circus for several years running, people trying to stoke the anger of a group of voters.”...

Levine & McDonough: Together Again

Jim McDonough's newest challenge, fresh off trying to rid the Florida Corrections Department of scandal: Figuring out how to serve the mentally ill in New Orleans area, when 80 percent of the local psychiatrists haven't returned after Hurricane Katrina.

Hiring him for the task is none other than fellow Jeb Bush administration alumnus Alan Levine, the former Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary, who oversaw Florida hospitals' responses during the state's own spate of hurricanes in 2005.

The Times-Picayune, that finely-named New Orleans' newspaper, has it all here. And if you forgot what a picayune is, click here.

Jeb backing McCain

At least that's the Buzz we're hearing today, that the former governor with impeccable conservative credentials has sent a check to the presumptive GOP nominee. It's a clear message to Republicans skeptical of McCain.

A word of caution, however - we haven't heard confirmation yet from Jeb himself.

Jeb: He's Back!

Former governor Jeb Bush, who made his mark in Florida's education system with the A-Plus accountability system, has announced the creation of the Florida Foundation for Excellence in Education, a non-profit intended to create and manage programs aimed at improving classroom education.

To read more, click here.

Trust Jeb?

From the St. Pete Times editorial board today:  "The more Floridians learn about the near collapse of the state's local government investment pool, the more urgent the need becomes for a thorough investigation....Did Bush play any role in those investments? "The answer to your question is an emphatic no," Bush said in an e-mail message to the St. Petersburg Times. But Floridians and Gov. Charlie Crist should not take that denial at face value. Too much money and credibility are at stake. State officials should review all of the records, including any contacts with Stipanovich during that time, to determine what really happened."

Jeb denies role in SBA debacle

St. Petersburg Times personal finance editor Helen Huntley caught up with Gov. Jeb Bush Wednesday afternoon by e-mail. She asked him if his relationship with Lehman Brothers (first reported on the Buzz) influenced the State Board of Administration's dealings with Lehman Brothers. Close to half the downgraded or defaulted investments in the SBA portfolio were purchased from Lehman Brothers, according to documents SBA released today.

Gov. Jeb Bush e-mailed back: "The answer to your question is an emphatic no."

Sink fuming over Jeb's new company

Bloomberg takes a hard look at the SBA mess: "...What Stipanovich, 58, hadn't told his boss, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, was that Lehman Brothers was the same firm that had sold the state fund $842 million of mortgage- backed debt in July and August. Those securities defaulted within four months, and totaled more failing debt than any other bank sold the state, Florida records show. ``At the time, I never knew it was Lehman Brothers that actually sold us these investments,'' Sink says.

"Sink also was unaware that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who incorporated Jeb Bush & Associates in February 2007, a month after completing his second term, had been hired as a consultant to Lehman Brothers in June. Bush is the brother of President George W. Bush. ... Florida CFO Sink is riled up about more than Stipanovich. She says JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Lehman Brothers were offloading tainted debt on Florida and other states at a time when those assets were plummeting in value. "

Jeb's job a sweetheart deal?

Former Gov. Jeb Bush has been appointed to the board of an Orlando bank, CNL Bancshares Inc., whose sister company received a lucrative state tax break during his term as governor. The full story is here.

Romney's Winn

A couple interesting names on Mitt Romney's education policy advisory group: former Florida Department of Education Commissioner John Winn and Mary Laura Bragg, former director of Just Read, Florida!.

Another Bush in Politics

Miami New Times catches Jeb Jr. stumping for Rudy

Jeb nabs another board job

Orlando-based CNL Bancshares Inc. has named former Gov. Jeb Bush to its board of directors. Gov. Bush is already a handsomely-compensated member of the Tenet Healthcare board and of the Lehman Brothers Private Equity Advisory Board.

Here's the release.

Those divided Bushes

From the Washington Post: "George P. Bush had just finished telling his father, the former governor of Florida, that he had decided to endorse former senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee for president. Jeb Bush assured his eldest son that all the Republican candidates are "great" and that whatever he did would be okay with him and the family. Then he offered an unsolicited piece of advice to the young namesake of the 41st and 43rd presidents. "His personal recommendation was to stay out of the madness of politics and focus on work," George P. Bush recalled last week."

Bush brother's Fla. dealings under scrutiny

The U.S. Department of Education inspector general says he will review actions by school districts in Florida and two other states that have bought educational equipment from a company owned by Neil Bush, the brother of the president and former Gov. Jeb Bush, The New York Times reports. 

Jeb Bush on the candidates

Today former Gov. Jeb Bush chatted with Hoover Institution's Peter Robinson on a webcast called Uncommon Knowledge, check it out here. He chats about the candidates about 28 minutes into the interview. Bush said that he's given advice to all the candidates privately saying that they should "be genuine."

He wouldn't endorse anyone but he gave his two cents on the Republican candidates' greatest strengths.

Rudy Giuliani: "Direct, sees the world the way it is, and he's direct and he communicates well and he has high energy and tremendous personality."

Fred Thompson: "Committed conservative." He added that Thompson is "new at the game."

John McCain: "His courage. I was in my bed watching this with my wife and I got out of bed and started cheering," when McCain mentioned the woodstock line during the last debates.

Jeb and Charlie support licenses for illegals too

Be careful Republican presidential hopefuls about jumping too hard on Hillary Clinton's nebulous debate answer last night on whether illegal immigrants should be granted drivers licenses. As Politico's Jonathan Martin notes, Jeb Bush supported the same thing in 2004: "“We shouldn't allow them to come into the country to begin with, but once they're here, what do you do?" Bush told the AP at the time.  "Do you basically say that they're lepers to society? That they don't exist? … A policy that ignores them is a policy of denial."

What's more, Charlie Crist last year said he supported drivers licenses for illegals too, "in limited circustances."

Sink: Insurers 'planted' anti-Crist editorials

We chatted with Alex Sink about the recent series of Wall Street Journal editorials hammering Charlie Crist over Florida's attempted property insurance fixes. "Those were planted by the insurance industry,'' the Democratic Chief Financial Officer scoffed, after taping an interview for "Political Connections" on Bay News 9.  "(Crist) hasn't given the industry the access that they're used to."

The industry even tried to get former Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene with Crist, Sink said, but "to his credit" Jeb declined to do so.

Jeb praises Al Gore

Yup, you read that right. The ex-gov was in India, where he applauded Gore's Nobel Peace Prize: "I do respect him a lot. Especially for showing that there is life after politics, something that I have been learning,'' he was quoted saying. More here. Buzz has been unable to reach Katherine Harris for reaction to Al's big prize.

Meanwhile, Jeb got some less favorable press treatment the other day for his political activity in South Carolina with Mark Sanford.

Jeb Jr backs Giuliani

The former governor's youngest son, working in commercial real estate for Fairchild Partners in Miami, is backing Rudy Giuliani for president. He'll serve as Florida Chairman of Young Professionals for Rudy. With George P. in Fred Thompson's camp, Jeb's top advisers helping Mitt Romney, it's getting pretty tough to speculate about Jeb's leanings.

"As someone who has grown up with and around politics and candidates, I know that Rudy Giuliani has the leadership qualities and the experience to be the next president of the United States. I'm honored to join his campaign and look forward to working with the many young professionals throughout Florida supporting the mayor,'' Jeb Bush Jr. said.

Bush, who worked on dad's 2002 gubernatorial race, is a 2005 graduate of University of Texas at Austin and is involved in civic work including St Jude's Hospital and After School All Stars. "Jeb's going to be extremely active,'' senior Rudy Giuliani adviser and former Jeb Bush campaign manager Karen Unger said of young Jeb's work mobilizing young professionals across Florida. "It's a really important demographic and one that we do well with and that we need to turn out."

Carville's take: GOP will nominate Jeb

CNN: Democratic strategist and CNN analyst James Carville tossed out a provocative idea during a panel discussion on politics Tuesday. At CNN's America Votes 2008 Breakfast, the chief architect of Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential run predicted that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will be the Republican nominee in 2008. Jeb is a younger brother of President Bush.

Carville bolstered his prediction, highlighting Jeb Bush's career: He was a successful governor of a large state, he enjoys the support of social conservatives, he speaks Spanish, and "he's somebody the party could rally around," Carville said. "There is nobody in this field who can rally the Republican Party; he's the only person in America that can do it," he added.

More here.

Licenses for illegals? Really?

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposal to issue official driver licenses to illegal immigrants has sparked a furor there among fellow Democrats and Republicans. To show how the tone of the immigration debate has changed, this is hardly a new idea. Republican Jeb Bush proposed the same thing in Florida in 2004, saying it was wrong to regard illegal immigrants as "lepers," but the Legislature wouldn't touch it, and it didn't happen.

Jeb on 'putrid' politics

"I can't watch the news, as a brother who loves my brother," said Bush, the brother of President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush. "The food fight has to stop, and there needs to be a restoration of civility."  More here in the Mobile Register.

WS Journal slaps Crist again

The Wall Street Journal editorial board seems to be no big fan of Charlie Crist. Jumping on Jeb Bush's recent criticism of Florida's insurance reform efforts, the paper today take another shot at Crist: "Rather than spreading the financial risk across the world-wide private insurance market, Mr. Crist's plan seeks to concentrate the risk within the state of Florida, triggering enormous costs at the moment when Floridians may be least able to pay. Says former Governor Bush, "When the government assumes the risk of these catastrophic events, they are putting at risk the livelihoods and quality of life of the taxpayers and citizens they serve."

"That's a storm warning Mr. Crist would do well to heed."

Jeb slams Crist's Citizens expansion

GRAPEVINE, Texas September 17 (BestWire) — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is dismayed at how his state has handled catastrophe insurance since he left office in January, telling members of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies "we don't really have an insurance problem; we have a natural catastrophe problem." Addressing NAMIC's annual members convention in Grapevine, Texas...Bush at first referred obliquely to states that were "offering solutions that are as bad as the natural disasters themselves," before going on to express concern that "my beloved state of Florida has taken steps along that path."

Jeb Raising bucks to take on Republicans...

...In South Carolina. From AP: "Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will attend fundraisers across South Carolina next month to help Governor Mark Sanford take on fellow Republican legislators he considers unfriendly to his agenda. According to an e-mail from Sanford's chief of staff, Bush will attend three events with Sanford on October 16th "The news is the latest chapter in the tiff between Sanford and the GOP-controlled Legislature, which has been going on since he took office in 2003.House Speaker Bobby Harrell, a Charleston Republican, says he thinks Sanford would accomplish more if he tried to work with legislators instead of constantly criticizing them."

SC Hates Florida, Loves Jeb?

While South Carolina politicians have lately had strong things to say about Florida, given the state's early primary, their Republicans are increasingly looking to a Florida GOP powerhouse for some political help.

The State of South Carolina reports that a political group with ties to SC Gov. Mark Sanford has asked for Gov. Jeb Bush's help in upcoming state house elections. Read more here.

Sen. Jones: Ok on gaming, not on tax initiative

State Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, who doesn't buy the talk that former Gov. Jeb Bush fended off expanded gambling in Florida: "Under Jeb Bush we went from 5,000 to 13,000 lottery terminals, the largest expansion of gaming in the history of this state," Jones said in a Political Connections interview airing today on Bay News 9.

Jones also said that he'll vote against the tax reform ballot initiative on Jan. 29, and that he expects this will be an especially tough election cycle for Republicans.

"We are the majority party in Florida. ... Some people will say we didn't do enough for insurance in January, they don't think we did enough during the regular session, they didn't think we did enough for the property tax session," said Jones in the interview that airs at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and any time on Channel 342 (Bay News 9 on demand). More here.

Another Appointment for Jeb

Former Gov. Jeb Bush, already a handsomely-compensated member of the Tenet Healthcare board, has been given another high-level seat at the table. A spokesman for Lehman Brothers, the worldwide financial services company, confirms Bush is the newest member of the firm's Private Equity Advisory Board.

Further details were not immediately available from the company Wednesday.

Coincidentally, Lehman Brothers announced it was laying off 1,200 people on Wednesday. Read more here.

Black leaders rethink vouchers

For years, teachers and others who opposed private school vouchers in Florida could count on black lawmakers to stand with them. But there are signs that support may be cracking. The most recent example came last week. The foundation named for former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, an icon in the black community and a longtime voucher opponent, announced it would be awarding hundreds of vouchers to low-income kids in Miami.

More here.

Another Jeb alum for Thompson

Looks like Randy Enwright isn't the only prominent Bush family loyalist helping out Fred Thompson's likely presidential campaign. Buried in the newly released expenditure reports is a $4,838 expense for one Reginald Brown, a DC lawyer who happens to have been a former deputy general counsel to Jeb Bush and a former staffer in Alberto Gonzales' White House counsel office.

"Very impressive sleuthing,'' said Brown, who declined to say what he was/is doing for the Thompson effort. "I'm happy to confirm that 'I'm With Fred' if he decides to run.  He's a long-time conservative who shares a lot of the same values as Jeb and most Southerners.  Randy Enwright and George P. Bush are supporting Fred as well, so I feel like I'm in good company."

Crist explores VP nod

HOLLYWOOD -- The Buzz tracked down Gov. Charlie Crist after his well-received speech at the Young Republicans event to ask about his reaction to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's comments earlier in the day.

Romney, in response to a question from an audience member about attractive vice president contenders, mentioned Crist's name as well as those of former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez.

He acknowledged it was "presumptuous" to name names now, but then said, "You can think of a number of people in Florida who would fall on that list from your governor to your former governor to your senator."

Flanked by a mob of adoring fans, Crist at first avoided a direct response. He said he was too busy focusing on being governor of Florida to give Romney's remarks any serious thought.

But then he acknowledged that he has had "indirect conversations through other people, through other campaigns" about the potential VP nod. Now that's straight-talk.

--John Frank, Times staff writer

Fred Thompson lands Enwright

Brace yourselves, Mitt, Rudy, and John. The Buzz is that likely Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson has landed one of best political minds in the Florida GOP. Veteran GOP strategist Randy Enwright has stepped down as the RNC's Florida guru to help Thompson test the waters for his likely presidential bid.

Enwright, a key adviser to Jeb in '94 and '98, a former Iowa GOP executive director and Florida GOP executive director from '95-'99, had been under contract with the RNC since 2001.  This means Todd Thomson and former state GOP executive director Andy Palmer, both also of Enwright Consulting, are aboard FL team Thompson as well, along with Adam Putnam and a growing list of current and former legislators.  For all the talk that Romney and Giuliani had swallowed up all the GOP talent in Florida, this is a big get for Fred Thompson.

Adios, Republican stronghold

There are ominous signs for the Florida GOP when it comes to the state's fastest-growing ethnic group. Consider:

• When Democrat Bill McBride lost his bid for governor in 2002, he won just 36 percent of the vote in one of Miami-Dade's most heavily Hispanic, reliably Republican state House districts. Last year, McBride's wife and fellow Democrat Alex Sink was elected chief financial officer and carried 53 percent of the vote there.
• In Florida's virtually tied 2000 election, overwhelmingly Republican Cuban-Americans made up about 75 percent of Florida's Hispanic electorate. Today? More like 40 percent.
• Jeb Bush in 2002 performed more than 7 percent better in Central Florida's Osceola County, with its booming population of non-Cuban Hispanics, than Charlie Crist did in 2006. More here.

Jeb the best Bush?

Katheen Barclay, the co-chair of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America, introduced Jeb Bush to a business conference in Chile this way: "Despite having a brother and father who were both presidents, Jeb Bush may emerge as the most successful political leader from that family."

To which Jeb Bush, co-chair of the newly formed Inter-American Ethanol Commission,  responded that Barbara was the family's most successful politician. More on that speech here.

Assessing Crist

Phil Gailey's column today: "He has been governor for less than six months, so it's a little early for any kind of definitive assessment of Charlie Crist's leadership. But I think we can say that Crist's record so far has been a mixed bag, with more to applaud than to criticize...."

More here.

Maybe Jeb really is neutral

After Jeb Bush's closest political advisers, Sally Bradshaw and Ann Herberger jumped aboard the Mitt Romney campaign, a lot of people assumed Romney had the implicit endorsement of the ex-governor. But more and more the signs point to Jeb being neutral. Does anybody think George P. Bush would back Fred Thompson without checking with the old man? Then there are former Jeb aides like Kathleen Shanahan and Cory Tilley, backing John McCain, and his old campaign strategist Karen Unger working for Rudy Giuliani.

"I never believed the perception that was out there that Jeb Bush had any secret support or quiet endorsemen for any one candidate,'' said Justin Sayfie, another former Jeb aide and major fundraiser who is still uncommitted in the race. "I want to to see who the choices are. It looks like we'll probably know by mid-summer. If you're not in by mid-summer, I don't know that you can run a credible campaign."

Jeb likes immigration bill

From an op-ed by Jeb Bush and Ken Mehlman in the Wall Street Journal: "...We support the immigration reform compromise worked out in the Senate for a few simple reasons. It strengthens our national defense. It makes our economy more competitive and flexible. It enhances the rule of law and promotes national unity..."

Good timing for John McCain, who is in Coral Gables Monday to talk about immigration reform.

FL Bush bundlers on sidelines

Underscoring how Jeb Bush's departure from Tallahassee has changed Florida's political scene, an overwhelming majority of President Bush's top political fundraisers in Florida are sitting on the sidelines so far in the 2008 presidential race. Of the 54 Floridians who raised at least $100,000 for Bush-Cheney in 2004, only 10 have given to any Republican contender to succeed Bush, a St. Petersburg Times review found. More here.

Who are the Bush-Cheney '04 Rangers and Pioneeers who have donated to or are supporting '08 candidates?

Giuliani: William Scherer; Romney: Al Cardenas, Mark Guzzetta, Gary Morse, John Thrasher, Robert and Nancy Watkins; McCain: Charlie Cobb, Marty Fiorentino, Ned and Stephanie Siegel; Milton Wallace; Richardson: George Zoley

Did Mitt misstate Jeb's position?

Jeb Bush has been supportive of the concept of giving illegal immigrants an opportunity to earn citizenship. But in Polk County last week Mitt Romney, an opponent of the Senate immigration plan, sought to invoke Jeb Bush on immigration - and appeared to mischaracterize Bush’s position.

"I deputized , as did Gov. Bush here, my state police to be able to enforce immigration laws," Romney said in this interview with the Lakeland Ledger.

"But Bush approved a small pilot program in 2002, which the governor stressed was limited to a few officers and intended to focus on suspected terrorists, not all illegal immigrants. Bush, in fact, had said he "would have a lot of trepidation if local law enforcement became the immigration cops of the country."

That mysterious transportation commission

Few regular folks have heard of the Florida Transportation Commission. The nine volunteers on its board aren't elected. They don't keep minutes of key meetings. It's an anonymity that conceals their power to shape how the state spends billions in tax dollars on roads, rail, airports and seaports. More here.

Jeb "not disappointed" in Romney

Mitt Romney campaigns in Florida today amid  reports that in opposing the Senate immigration bill, the former Mass governor may have run afoul of Jeb Bush. The ex-governor responded in an e-mail: "Interesting that the press writes these days about unverified speculation as though it is true. I am not disappointed in Governor Romney."

Jeb said to frown on Romney's immigration stance

From ABC News: "Ana Navarro, a Florida Republican activist and fundraiser who has worked with Jeb Bush on immigration issues in the past, said the former governor told her last weekend that he is "disappointed" that Romney has denounced the immigration bill in television advertisements.

"It's one of the biggest policy and legacy issues of his brother's administration, but more than that, Jeb believes in this," said Navarro, who is supporting Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for president. "I don't speak for Jeb, but I know where his heart is on this issue."

FL's Christian right bulldog

For a combative Christian political crusader like John Stemberger, these are trying times. The front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination are thrice-married Rudy Giuliani, who openly supports abortion rights, and John McCain, who once called Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance." Charlie Crist, whom Stemberger bashed last year as a "conservative impostor, " now sits in the governor's office with soaring approval ratings after clobbering Stemberger's preferred candidate in the Republican primary.

Stemberger, the loudest voice in Florida's Christian right movement, lately looks like he's all mouth and little might. But in the same week that Falwell died, Stemberger sounds neither cocky nor chastened. "It's not our job to be victorious. It's our job to be faithful. It's our job to stand up for truth and to speak the truth, " the Orlando trial lawyer said in an office sprinkled with photos of Jeb Bush and Robert Bork and a "Beware of Attack Lawyer" warning sign.

More here.

Crist's defining moment

Bousquet's column on whether Crist will be another Veto Corleone: "...

Amid lobbying Crist calls "intense," he and his staff are going through the 429-page budget, line by line. One line item alone has 99 separate projects. The betting here is that Crist will veto much of the plundering next week when he signs the budget into law. Perhaps not as much as Jeb Bush would have, but enough that Crist can claim he's more fiscally prudent than the Legislature."

Crist stalling Jeb-backed tollway

Earlier this year, a proposed 152-mile toll road in Central Florida looked well on its way to becoming a reality..."Gov. Charlie Crist doesn't seem as enthused about this as Gov. Bush was, " said Rick Dantzler, a former state senator who represents a consortium of landowners pushing for the road. "DOT will have to make a decision pretty quickly. If we drag our feet too long, it will be an impossibility to get this road secure." More here.

A wide open FL GOP primary?

From the Politico: "..And with the recent decision by the state legislature to move the state’s presidential primary to Jan. 29 – a week ahead of the other mega-states on so-called Tsunami Tuesday – Florida is also mirroring the very uncertain national contours of the fight for the Republican presidential nomination."

"My feel on the ground is that the primary is totally up for grabs," said Justin Sayfie, a top Republican fundraiser and former aide to Gov. Jeb Bush.

FL flack wars

With the start of hurricane season three weeks away, Gov. Charlie Crist's administration suddenly canceled a $450,000 contract for a public awareness campaign after two media companies protested the award of the project to a third firm. More here. Quote sampling:

"Pat Roberts is a sore loser," Ron Sachs said.

Said Roberts: "His greed exceeds anything I've seen in Tallahassee."

"(Mike Vasilinda) has a conflict of interest every time he draws a breath in this town," Sachs said.

DCF waits lighten

Department of Children and Families Secretary Bob Butterworth walked to the courtroom podium Wednesday morning and announced that a deed once thought impossible had been achieved. No inmates who have been declared mentally incompetent have to wait longer than the 15 days the law allows for a bed in a mental institution. More here.

Thwart Jeb, get an award

In case you missed it, the Clearwater Bar Association for the second time has honored a state judge whose independence ran crossways with former Gov. Jeb Bush: Pinellas Circuit Court Judge Crockett Farnell, who late last year found Florida's Department of Children and Families in contempt of court and imposed $80,000 in fines for ignoring a long-standing law that requires any jail inmate found mentally incompetent be held no longer than 15 days and then offered treatment.

Farnell received the award, named for its inaugural 2005 recipient, Judge George W. Greer of Schiavo-case fame, at a luncheon Friday. His closing remarks, "All I've got to say is, eat your heart out, Jeb Bush."

To read more, click here.

Schiavo politics

The Rudy Giuliani camaign tries to explain the candidate's shifting position on Terri Schiavo: ""Last night Mayor Giuliani said that ideally these types of difficult issues are best left up to families and when there are disputes, it is a matter for the courts to decide. As he said in Florida in April, there are sometimes extraordinary circumstances where the intentions of the person in question are not clear. The Schiavo case was one of those very special circumstances."

And Mitt Romney tries to avoid offending Jeb Bush: "In the case here, the courts decided what they thought was the right thing to do. And then I think Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature did the right thing by saying, 'We've got a concern.' They looked over the shoulder of the court. But I think the decision of Congress to get involved was a mistake, " the former Massachusetts governor said. More here.

Charlie v. Jeb?

That's the angle of Time's new piece on Charlie Crist. Headline: "Charlie Crist is undoing much of what Jeb Bush left behind in Florida."

Jeb's Tenet stake

Tenet Healthcare Corp. granted former Gov. Jeb Bush $260,000 worth of stock units. Bush, who was recently appointed to the board of the Dallas-based hospital company, received 34,667 stock units, which are convertible to shares of stock. Dow Jones Newswires reported the offer was in a company filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Young Jebbies for Mitt

UPDATE: That crack Romney campaign organization seems to have been careless on this one. Reg Brown let us know that he has not yet committed to anybody: "While I think Mitt's an impressive guy and that his Florida organization is unparalleled, this Jebbie is still very much unaligned, just like the Governor I served."

The Mitt Romney campaign released its DC chapter of "Young Professionals for Mitt," which included some Jeb alums: Jill Bratina; former communications director for Gov. Bush; Reg Brown – former Deputy Attorney general counsel for Gov. Bush;  Ryan Duffy – former Jeb speechwriter; Kimberly Fritts, who worked on Jeb's ‘94 campaign and was also scheduler for Connie Mack when he was in Congress. 

Lil' Jeb

Does this look like a young Jeb Bush? It's Lil' Jeb, a character in the Comedy Central/Amp'd Mobile Lil' George show aimed at mobile phones. The show (we don't vouch for its humor) describes our former governor as "dumber than paint Jeb," so we assume it's not exactly an homage to the Bush family.

NY Times on Crist

The New York Times weighs in the Charlie Crist, post-Jeb era in Florida:

"Is this really Florida, where partisan division so vividly defined the presidential recount in 2000, the Terri Schiavo case in 2005 and Mr. Bush’s efforts to end racial preferences in state college admissions? It is a different Florida, for now, led by a man who addresses every citizen he meets as “my boss” and gives his cellphone number to Democratic lawmakers who could not get Mr. Bush to return their calls. In an interview, Mr. Crist said he was not trying to remake the state as a bastion of centrism, but to carry out the will of its people, who he insists are not so politically divided after all.

Newt on Charlie and Marco

We caught up with Newt Gingrich for a "Political Connections" interview that will air Sunday on Bay News 9. We asked what he thought of Charlie Crist winning raves for Democrats for helping restore civil rights for felons, reaching out to the teachers union and talking up his concerns about global warming.

"He is philosophically a very solid Republican,'' the prospective presidential candidate said of Crist, whom he has known since 1984. "Remember, Gov. Bush was very sensitive on the environment too, so I think the fact that the governor's concerned about global warming tells you he is in a tradition where Gov. Bush fits and frankly where I would be....I have to say i do think that Marco Rubio is extraordinary. I think he is a future national leader in his own right. ... My hope would be that the governor and speaker working together are going to be a terrific team for Florida. There's no state in the country that needs consistent, effective leadership more than Florida just because of the continuous growth you're faced with."

Jeb joins healthcare corp board

(Bloomberg) — Tenet Healthcare Corp., the largest publicly owned U.S. hospital operator, said it appointed former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to the company's board.Bush, 54, becomes the board's tenth member, Dallas-based Tenet said today in a statement. Tenet has named new managers and directors since 2003 as it sought to regain credibility after a series of U.S. regulatory investigations. Bush's decision to join the board " reflects the real strides the company has made in recent years to build a solid foundation for future growth based on integrity and quality," said former U.S. Senator Robert Kerrey, a Nebraska Democrat, who heads the board's nominating committee.

National attention on Charlie

Here's another difference between Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist: Charlie digs the national media. His schedule in DC today includes a 6:15 a.m. interview on Fox & Friends, and 11:30 visit with conservative pundit Fred Barnes, and then a 12:15 interview with CNN's Wolfe Blitzer. He has a Time magazine profile coming soon. Meanwhile, the RPOF is heralding the glowing DeWayne Wickham column on Crist in USA Today:

"A great sea change in American politics, the kind of enlightened leadership that could end the intransigence of the ideological left and right, may have just occurred. If you missed this political tsunami, that could be because its epicenter was in Tallahassee, Fla., not the District of Columbia. It was foisted upon us by a guy named Charlie Crist, not Barack. Obama, a Democratic senator, is the darling of those who are looking to the current field of presidential candidates to produce someone who can end this nation's political self-flagellation. But it is Crist, Florida's Republican governor, who is leading the way toward this promised land."