Hillary Clinton is getting support from a highly unlikely quarter for a renewed White House bid in 2016 which she is still to decide upon. The new supporter is Barbara Bush, daughter of former President George W Bush, who wants the former First lady and Secretary of State to take another shot at presidency as she is “unbelievably accomplished”.
The politically-unaffiliated Bush daughter’s comment in an interview to People magazine comes even as it remains to be seen whether another Bush enters the White House race from the Republican side. There has been much speculation on whether Barbara’s uncle, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, would take the plunge.If Jeb Bush does throw his hat into the ring, it could possibly set the stage for yet another Bush-Clinton clash for the highest office. In the last encounter between the two American political dynasties in 1992, Bill Clinton had defeated Jeb’s father, President George HW Bush.
“I don’t know who she (Hillary) would be running against,” said the 31-year-old Barbara Bush Jr., who has broken with the top Republican family’s position on some key issues, notably gay marriage. In 2011, she lent public support for gay marriage on behalf of “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality”. “As CEO of Global Health Corps, a nonprofit that focuses on health equity, (Barbara) Bush has partnered with both the Clinton Health Access Initiative and Michelle Obama’s “let’s Move” campaign,” reported ABC News, quoting her as suggesting that her association with such causes was not grounded in politics.
The Bush family itself appears to be divided on whether Jeb Bush should enter the presidential race. While his elder brother, George, had said in an April interview to ABC News that Je would be “a marvelous candidate” if he chooses to join the race, their mother Barbara Bush has been opposed to the idea, telling NBC News subsequently: “There are other people out there that are very qualified and we’ve had enough Bushes.” As the Bush family matriarch put it, “He (Jeb) will get half of our friends and all of our enemies”.