George H. W. and Barbara Bush Back Romney
George H. W. Bush said Thursday he and his wife, Barbara, will be supporting Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary.
“I think Romney is the best choice for us,” Bush told The Houston Chronicle Thursday.
Though not an official endorsement, the news likely comes as a blow to Rick Perry, who is governor of the Bush's home state of Texas and has struggled to gain momentum in the race.
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“I like Perry, he's our governor,” Bush said. But he preferred Romney because he has “stability, experience, principles. He’s a fine person. I just think he’s mature and reasonable – not a bomb-thrower.”
The words of support for Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, were not much of a surprise. Romney met with George and Barbara Bush on Dec. 1. After the meeting, Romney indicated he had their support. “They are 100 percent with it,” he told Fox News.
Romney has already picked up many high-profile Republican endorsements, including Dan Quayle, vice-president under George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, the Republican presidential nominee in 1996, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
When asked about Newt Gingrich, the other front-runner in the race, Bush said, “I'm not his biggest advocate.”
Bush recalled when, as president, he was about to announce a bipartisan budget agreement in 1990. Gingrich, who was House Minority Whip at the time, had agreed to support Bush, but backed out at the last minute.
“The plan was, we were all going to walk out into the Rose Garden and announce this deal. Newt was right there. Got ready to go out in the Rose Garden, and I said, ‘Where’s Gingrich?’ Went up to Capitol Hill. He was here a minute ago. Went up there and started lobbying against the thing,” Bush recounted.
Bush said he would back any of the current field of candidates, with the possible exception of Ron Paul. “I want to see Obama beaten. I just don’t believe Ron Paul can get the nomination.”
When asked to speculate about the possibility of Paul running as a third party candidate, he recalled his 1992 reelection attempt when H. Ross Perot ran as an independent. Perot split the conservative vote and helped Bill Clinton win the election.
“H. Ross, that son of a ... gun,” Bush joked.
