KATHIE OBRADOVICH

Jeb Bush stands up to conservative jeers

Kathie Obradovich
kobradov@dmreg.com
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush shakes hands with people in the audience after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told groaning and booing members of a conservative crowd on Friday that he'd like to be their second choice if he runs for president.

"First of all, for those that, uh, made an 'ooo' sound – is that what it was? – I'm marking them down as neutral and I want to be your second choice if I decide to go beyond this," Bush said at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington, D.C.

Bush is often labeled with the "m-word," – moderate – for some of his education policies and stands on immigration. He chose a different label when asked during a 25-minute, on-stage interview with Sean Hannity from FOX News.

"I would describe myself as a practicing, reform-minded conservative and I've actually done it," Bush said.

Hannity focused most of his questions on the two issues most often used to tar Bush as too moderate: immigration and Common Core standards for education.

Bush emphasized points of agreement with the audience, emphasizing the border must be secured before anything else is done. He said Congress should pass a bill to block President Obama's executive actions on immigration and that unaccompanied youth who crossed over from Central America should have been sent home from the border.

However, he also said he believes the country needs "economic-driven" immigrants, including a path to legal status for people here illegally. He said instead of pitting immigrants against American citizens in a competition for scarce jobs, focus on growing the economy so there are plenty of jobs for everyone. He also didn't back down from legislation passed in his state to in-state tuition for children who came into the country illegally. He pointed out that it was signed into law by a "conservative" governor, Rick Scott.

On education, he noted that education standards were part of a comprehensive set of reforms that also included school vouchers and other school-choice options. "We did all this, and we raised standards" so that students who finish high school are career or college ready, he said.

Then, he said the federal government should stay out of setting standards and cut strings to federal money for using Common Core standards. "The role of the federal government, if there's any, is to provide incentives for more school choice," he said.

Bush, the last of a two-day lineup of potential 2016 presidential candidates, was also the one most often jabbed and reviled by previous speakers. Hannity surveyed audience members earlier in the day about their choice for the GOP nomination. Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie both drew louder boos than applause.

MORE ON CPAC: Walker says Wisconsin protests prepared him to fight

It was interesting that both Bush and Christie also sat for interviews -- Bush with Hannity, Christie with radio talk-show host Laura Ingraham -- instead of giving speeches. Maybe that was CPAC's way of trying to keep hostile audience members at bay.

It didn't stop other speakers from savaging Bush, whose brother and father are former presidents. Ingraham suggested Bush and Hillary Clinton run on the same ticket.

"I mean, go through the list of things they agree on: Common Core, amnesty, giving Obama fast-track trade authority, allowing the trade deals with China, the surveillance culture," she said. "I'm designing a bumper sticker. It could be Clush 2016: What difference does it make?"

Ingraham also made some nasty and inappropriate personal attacks against Bush and his wife. I don't need to repeat them but suffice to say they showed how much venom some conservatives have for Bush.

Bush may be trying to put his record in the most "right" light, but he showed poise and strength in standing up to such vitriol and trying to win over skeptics. As the interview went on, he was applauded much more than he was booed. He may not have won their votes, but he deserved their respect.

Rand Paul calls for strong defense, cautious foreign policy

Sen. Rand Paul, often accused of isolationist foreign policy, said Friday he just wants to follow the Constitution.

Paul, R-Kentucky, said his priority is always national defense. On foreign policy, however, Republicans are not all the same.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

"On one end, there are people who believe we should never be anywhere outside our borders. On the other end, there are people who believe we should be everywhere, all the time. I think really, in the end what we should do is obey the Constitution," Paul said.

Specifically, he said the Constitution says war should be initiated and declared by Congress. "We must protect ourselves from jihadists without losing who we are as a people in the process," he said. "We must think before we act."

Paul wasn't among speakers rattling the saber against ISIS but he was particularly sharp in his criticism of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's record. He argued that toppling secular dictators leads to the growth of radical despots. "Hillary's war in Libya allowed thousands of surface-to-air missiles to fall into the hands of radical Islamists," he said.

Both former Sen. Rick Santorum and Donald Trump called for escalating U.S. military action against ISIS.

Santorum called for 10,000 boots on the ground against ISIS and "serious" air strikes. "If ISIS wants a 7th-century caliphate, let's oblige by bombing them back to the 7th century," he said.

Trump, a billionaire businessman and TV personality, said defeating ISIS would be his top priority as president. "Nobody, if I decide to run, and win, nobody would be tougher than Donald Trump, nobody," he said.

Santorum said he and Paul both believe in a need for strong national defense, but they differ on how to accomplish that. "I think we need a robust military to defend ourselves, to protect our security interests and make sure we can be a reliable ally. We need to lead the world. If America doesn't lead the world, someone else will."

Paul was easily the crowd favorite so far at the Conservative Political Action Conference, with hundreds of mostly young supporters in red T-shirts packing the audience.

Fox News commentator Sean Hannity had the audience "vote" for the 2016 GOP nomination through applause. Paul was the walk-away winner. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Ted Cruz, who both spoke on Thursday, were next. Former Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got boos.

Christie also spoke on Thursday. Bush is up soon.

Trump: I'm really inclined to do this

Donald Trump tried to convey Friday that he's serious this time about running for president.

"I'm really inclined, I want to do it so badly," he said.

Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Responding to questions from FOX News' Sean Hannity, he said he's at 75 or 80 on a scale of 1 to 100 in favor of running. "I love building. I'm building all over the world and I love it, more than anything else I love it. But I love this country," he said. He said his children are in position to run his company.

He said politicians and run and lose and run again. "With me, I give up a lot when I do this. I already told the 'Apprentice' people, you know, NBC wanted to renew and I said, I'm doing something else," Trump said.

Trump considered running in 2012 but never organized a campaign. He said he counted on Mitt Romney to win but he failed. "I'm looking at it very seriously. I don't want what happened to Mitt Romney to happen again because that was a tremendous blow for this country."

This time, he's already hired an experienced operative in Iowa: Chuck Laudner, who helped Santorum win in 2012. I guess the Donald won't need Chuck's truck.

Santorum, Trump make birther jokes

Rick Santorum came up snake-eyes in the speaking order craps shoot. He was supposed to follow Donald Trump but instead had to speak after a late-arriving Sen. Rand Paul.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum pauses as he speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

As Santorum was explaining why Republicans needed to "stand up for the little guy," busloads of college-aged Paul supporters were filing out of the auditorium.

Santorum doggedly ramped up rhetoric on foreign policy and sharply criticized Obama.

"We don't need a weatherman-in-chief, we need a commander-in-chief to run this country," he said.

He joked the president has become so unpopular overseas that the government of Kenya is looking for proof Obama was born in America. (Birther humor, get it?)

Trump also addressed birther issue, noting that both Hillary Clinton and John McCain tried to get Obama's birth certificate in the 2008 campaign. "Hillary Clinton is a birther," Trump said.

Perry hammers Obama on foreign policy

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry hammered out a message on foreign policy Friday, echoing harsh criticism of the Obama administration's handling of ISIS and Iran.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., Friday, Feb. 27, 2015.

Perry, who has been taking steps toward a second run for president in 2016, spoke at the CPAC conference near Washington, D.C.

"This administration's incompetence in Iraq and Syria have allowed the emergence of ISIS," Perry said.

He said the goals of ISIS, a radical Islamic terrorist group, is "apocalyptic" and aims not only kill Christians and Jews but Muslims who don't adhere to their extreme ideology.

"ISIS represents the worst threat to freedom since Communism," Perry said.

Perry did not offer a prescription for defeating ISIS, however.

He offered two non-negotiable principles for negotiations with Iran: "Number one is, Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, period. And number two, Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state."

Perry's address was high energy and frequently interrupted by applause from the audience.

Rubio: I don't want to be in politics my whole life

Sen. Marco Rubio said Friday he hasn't decided whether to run for president – but if he does, he's not going to hedge his bet.

"I don't want to be in politics my whole life. I want to serve our country and I want to do some other things," Rubio said.

Rubio spoke at the CPAC Conservative Political Action conference near Washington, D.C., on Friday morning and then participated i

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., arrives to speak during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

n a question-and-answer session with Sean Hannity of FOX News. Rubio kept his remarks brief but he was greeted with standing ovations at the beginning and end of his remarks.

Hannity asked him why he wants to be president. "I haven't made that decision yet, Sean, but good try to get me to answer that question," Rubio responded, to laughter from the audience.

Rubio added, however, that he wants to be in public service because "I believe I owe a debt to America that I will never be able to repay."

The Florida senator indicated he'll decide whether to run for president before the filing deadline to run for re-election to the Senate.

"I think if you want to run for president of the United States and you decide that's what you've been called at this time in your life to at least run for, the best place for you to serve America, that's what you run for," Rubio said. "I don't think you can start thinking about what's my exit strategy, what's my Plan B."

More coverage of CPAC

I'm blogging and live-tweeting the speeches of potential 2016 presidential candidates.

Yesterday, both parties in power in Washington, D.C., took a beating from many speakers. Meanwhile, the audience of conservatives at the American Conservative Union conference heard from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, businesswoman Carly Fiorina and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Ben Carson, a popular radio commentator, also spoke early Thursday.