Jeb Bush: I Learned From Brother’s Success ‘Protecting The Homeland’

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Sunday said that he’s learned from George W. Bush’s successes, which include keeping American citizens safe.

During an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” host Bob Schieffer asked Bush if his brother was his “main challenge” running for president.

Bush said he didn’t see his brother as a major obstacle and said it was hard for him to criticize his brother.

“This is not something I’m comfortable doing,” he said. “But I’m my own person. I have my own life experience.”

Bush added that he asks George W. Bush for advice, and that he’s learned from his successes and failures.

When asked by Schieffer what he learned from his brother, Bush listed his brother’s success protecting the U.S.

“Well, the successes clearly are protecting the homeland. We were under attack, and he brought — he unified the country and he showed dogged determination. And he kept us safe,” Bush said. “And you can talk about a lot of stuff, but when you’re president of the United States and you’re confronted with that kind of event, to respond the way he did is admirable. And I have learned from that.”

Earlier in May, Bush struggled to answer whether he would have invaded Iraq given what he knows now. At first, Bush said he would have authorized the invasion, but he quickly backtracked and said he “would not have gone into Iraq.”

Bush also told Schieffer that he learned from his brother’s inability to lower government spending.

“Because of the war and because of the focus on protecting the homeland, I think he let the Republican Congress get a little out of control in terms of the spending,” Bush said.