"I know how to do this because, yes, I am a Bush." Jeb Bush said that about foreign policy. Right out loud in front of everybody.

"I probably shouldn't have said that."

Courtesy of TPM:  

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Friday night touted his role as a member of the Bush family while discussing how he would improve the United States' relationship with other countries as president. 

"Name a country in the world where our relationship is better today than the day that Hillary of Clinton became secretary of state," Bush said during a speech at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference in Michigan, according to CNN. 

Bush said that the U.S. might have a better relationship with Iran, Cuba and Burma, but said that ties with countries in the Middle East and Israel have worsened under the Obama administration. The former governor said that he would improve relations with other countries as president. 

"I know how to do this because, yes, I am a Bush," he said, according to CNN. "I happened to see two really good presidents develop relationships with other countries."

How can anyone be this disconnected from reality? 

Under his brother's administration Americans had to pretend to be Canadian just to travel overseas.

The only countries that seemed to like us better were Israel, because Netanyahu is just as big of a hawk as Dick Cheney, and Saudi Arabia, who loved us so much that they sent fifteen of their people over to help Bush start the war with Iraq that he wanted. 

You know when this whole 2016 campaign thing first started I was convinced that in the end it would be Hillary versus Jeb!

Now I don't know what to think.

From now on my go to answer will be, "Beats the hell out of me."

Mitt Romney is NOT running for President!

Courtesy of the Daily Beast: 

Mitt Romney will tell donors Friday morning that he will not run for president in 2016, contrary an earlier report published in The Daily Beast. "After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I've decided it is best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee," Romney said according to prepared remarks delivered on the call. 

You know I never really took Romney seriously anyway, but this is still going to send shock waves through the Republican party.

Now look I know most of you are going to hate this but in my opinion the 2016 race is already decided.

And these are your candidates.

And in my opinion these are going to HAVE to be the choices made by both parties.

Let's face it Jeb is going to crush all of his challengers in the run up to his nomination, and if it is going to be Jeb the ONLY Democrat who has a shot at taking him out is Hillary.

And on the flip side there are really no serious Democratic challengers to Hillary (Sorry Bernie.) so she is certain to get the nomination, and the ONLY Republican that has a chance against her is Jebbie.

Essentially this is going to be a clash of the titans, and each party is going to make damn sure they have their best titan in the game.

As a political blogger I find this quite exciting, but as an American citizen I have to confess that I am more than a little worried.

New poll shows Hillary Clinton holds double digit leads over both Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush.

Courtesy of the Washington Post:  

Hillary Rodham Clinton holds double-digit leads over potential Republican challengers Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney as the likely Democratic presidential candidate moves closer to entering the 2016 race, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds. 

Although Clinton, Bush and Romney are all longtime politicians and members of political dynasties, registered voters are less likely to count that familiarity against Clinton. That is a good sign for Clinton, a failed 2008 presidential candidate and the focus of Republican criticism that her time has come and gone. 

Clinton’s potential to make history as the first female U.S. president makes little difference to most voters and is a net positive for others.

And it is not like there is any advertising that is going to reveal anything new about these three either. So there is a good chance that these poll numbers are all but written in stone.

Well GOP, who else ya got?

I think we are already seeing strong evidence to suggest who will be the contenders in 2016.

Courtesy of TPM:

 Hillary Clinton has recently met with two of the names most frequently floated to be her campaign manager in 2016, should she choose to run, Politico reported Thursday. 

She met Wednesday with Guy Cecil, who oversaw the national Democratic Senate campaign arm during the 2014 election, according to Politico's sources. Clinton has also met with Robby Mook, who ran Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's 2013 campaign, though Politico could not secure firmer details of the meeting.

No surprise here, I think we all know this is a given at this point. 

But then check this out, also courtesy of TPM: 

Republican operatives in New Hampshire have told Real Clear Politics that they've been contacted by a Jeb Bush confidant about running his operation in the state for a 2016 presidential campaign. 

The unnamed GOP strategists told the news outlet that they had been told to "keep your powder dry" by those close to Bush. 

"I think the decision’s been made, personally,” one of the strategists said. Another added: “I’ve definitely perceived an uptick in the perception of him doing this."

Yeah I tend to think the decision has been made as well. 

In fact Bush said publicly that he was thinking of running, and let's face it you don't really say that in front of an audience unless you are convinced you are going to run.

And if he runs my friends, and I know that many of you don't want to hear this, he will more than likely win his nomination. And, your going to hate this part, he actually has the best chance against Hillary of ANY OTHER Republican candidate.

As much as people say they hate the idea of political dynasties there is a lot to be said for name recognition.

So in my opinion, barring some unforeseen event that derails one or both of these candidates, I think that image above represents the 2016 presidential campaign.