Former President George W. Bush appears for the first time in a new ad aimed at boosting his younger brother’s floundering presidential campaign.
The ad, aired by “Right to Rise,” a super PAC supporting Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, opens with shots of an American flag, the White House and aviators, over the former president’s signature voice, before a shot showing the older Bush brother appears.
“Experience and judgment count in the Oval Office,” the former president says. “Jeb Bush is a leader who will keep our country safe.”
The younger Bush “will unite our country,” George Bush says, praising his brother’s “good heart and strong backbone.”
“He knows how to bring the world against terror, and he knows when tough measures must be taken,” Bush says.
The ad shows George W. Bush talking about combating terrorism in a manner memorable from his two terms in office, but little seen in the seven years since.
The former Florida governor last year declared: “I am my own man.” The line appeared to be a bid to distance himself from his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and brother, who left office deeply unpopular, despite continued backing from many committed Republican voters.
But as he struggles in polls, Jeb has embraced his family. He mother, Barbara Bush, is campaigning with him in New Hampshire. The new ad marks George W. Bush’s most significant foray into the race.
