Jeb Bush skirts talk of White House run with Mitt Romney

Chris Woodyard | USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jeb Bush said Friday that his visit to Salt Lake City to meet with Mitt Romney was a nice chance to talk a little about politics, a lot about foreign policy and even exchange a few words about the New England Patriots -- but both men ducked talking about facing off against each other for the Republican presidential nomination.

"The awkward side...of running, we put aside," Bush told the National Automobile Dealers Association meeting here.

Former Florida Gov. Bush said he had the conversation with Romney on Thursday, a meeting arranged three months ago before Romney started making moves that raise the possibility that he's going to try to repeat as the Republican nominee.

"I had a nice conversation with him," Bush says.

Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, has formed a political action committee and told about 4,000 car dealers, typically one of the nation's better sources of campaign donations, that "I'm seriously considering the possibility of running." Bush showed no hesitation to hold up a "Bush 2016" bumper sticker when it was handed to him by Forrest McConnell, the Montgomery, Ala., car dealer who is chairman of the association.

Under questioning by McConnell, Bush says that next GOP nominee needs to run on a message of "hope," a theme familiar to Democrats from both the Barack Obama campaign of 2008 and Bill Clinton run from 1992. "The potential of the country to be great," Bush said.

Hewing to the Republican center, Bush cautioned any nominee against being viewed as reactionary. He said "a positive agenda wins out over anger and reaction," even though dissatisfaction with current administration's policies makes for "a lot of reason to be angry or grumpy or negative."

Asked what people might find surprising about him, Bush declared himself to be an introvert. "I'd rather read a book than go out and get in a conga line."

Bush took only a few swipes at Obama. In one of the times that he did, he says the president doesn't see being a world power as a good thing. "He's wrong on that," Bush said.

Bush declared Obamacare to be a "job killer," called for entitlement reform and endorsed a "stem to stern" reform of education. Allowing construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline is a "no brainer," he says, and he endorsed helping Mexico develop its oil industry to help strength North America's overall energy production. He also backed oil conservation measures, a point of controversy within the auto industry since tougher government gas-mileage regulations could lead to higher car prices.

He backed requiring illegal immigrants to pay a fine, learn English and get "in the back of the line" to achieve legal status.

Bush also told the auto dealers he just bought a new car, a Ford Fusion sedan. And while he's happy with it, he says he still has to go to the dealer for a two-hour lesson on how to work the technology.