Crowley Political Report

New York Times reporter Mat Bai had lunch with Jeb Bush last week and came away with some interesting thoughts from the never shy former Florida governor.

Bai's story begins with: For months now, Jeb Bush has been listening as President Obama blasts his older brother’s administration for the battered economy, budget deficits and even the lax oversight of oil wells.

“It’s kind of like a kid coming to school saying, ‘The dog ate my homework,’ ” Mr. Bush, this state’s former governor, said over lunch last week at the Biltmore Hotel. “It’s childish. This is what children do until they mature. They don’t accept responsibility.”

Later in the story Bush compares Obama to Hubert Humphrey:

“By and large, I think the president, instead of being a 21st-century leader, is Hubert Humphrey on steroids,” Mr. Bush said. “I don’t think there’s much newness in spending more money as the solution to every problem.”

Bai also explores Bush's popularity among Republicans and whether Bush may one day run for president.