Former Gov. Jeb Bush leveled his harshest criticism yet of fellow Republican Gov. Charlie Crist in an interview with Newsmax, saying Crist’s support of President Obama’s stimulus plan was an “unforgivable” mistake.

Crist, whose support for the stimulus helped plug a $5 billion hole in the state budget this year but also helped launch his rival’s primary campaign, laughed when asked about the quote. “Well, it’s certainly unforgettable. I don’t know if it’s unforgivable.”

Bush condemned Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate for endorsing Crist in his primary with former House Speaker Marco Rubio. But Bush for months has been thinly veiling his support for Rubio, one of the “farm team” members that Bush recruited to preserve his legacy in Tallahassee.

“It’s fine,” Crist said. “I have enormous respect for my predecessor and respect for his right to voice his views. So it doesn’t bother me at all.

“What would bother me is if 20,000 educators were out of work. What would bother me is if 87,000 fellow Floridians didn’t have gainful unemployment because we hadn’t utilized those in a prudent, responsible way.”

There’s a report from the Fort Myers CBS affiliate WINK about a curious exchange last night between former President George W. Bush and former Gov. Jeb Bush. The Naples and Fort Myers newspapers don’t mention this exchange and the CBS reporter notes that the Bush’s didn’t allow cameras in the town hall event.

…the Bush brothers disagreed on the Senate race between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist. Jeb Bush says he is officially neutral, but is disappointed in Crist’s embrace of the stimulus bill. George W. Bush joked “who the hell is Marco Rubio”…

Former Gov. Jeb Bush continues to thinly veil his support in the U.S. Senate race. From his interview today with WGCU in Fort Myers:

“I’m proud of what Marco has been able to accomplish in the campaign, but there’s a long, long way to go.”

Former Gov. Jeb Bush is supporting Senate President Jeff Atwater in his statewide run for chief financial officer, even though Atwater has a Republican opponent in the primary.

Atwater’s campaign released the announcement Wednesday, along with a link to a YouTube video in which Bush, still influential in GOP politics in Florida, says of Atwater, “It’s his life experience of being a committed family person, of being a successful businessman and also having served in positions of increasing responsibility in the Florida Legislature that have made Jeff uniquely qualified to handle this job.”

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The day after she officially joined the governor’s race, Sen. Paula Dockery lobbed a shot at the state GOP political machine that seems to be doing its best to ignore one of its own.

The front page of the Republican Party of Florida’s website has no mention of Dockery, a lifelong Republican from Lakeland, but does prominently feature a press release from her GOP opponent Attorney General Bill McCollum touting Jeb Bush’s support for him.

After Dockery announced she was running for governor, the Republican Party of Florida issued a release on behalf of McCollum’s campaign highlighting his GOP endorsements.

That earned this jab at RPOF Chairman Jim Greer from Dockery today.

“Just today, the controversial and embattled head of Florida’s Republican Party told the Orlando Sentinel that the state party would spend no money to help my opponent in the gubernatorial primary.

“Hours later, he used the party’s resources to send out an email of support for my opponent, Attorney General Bill McCollum.

“This is exactly the kind of double-speak that, under Greer’s leadership, has disenfranchised grassroots Republicans from the state party.

“Party bosses shouldn’t tell the people what to do. That didn’t work for the Politburo and it won’t work for the Republican Party of Florida,” Dockery said in a press release entitled “What are they afraid of?”

RPOF spokeswoman Katie Gordon said McCollum’s campaign was using a service that’s also available to Dockery.

“The RPOF has a long-standing policy of distributing campaign press releases to our subscribers thru the RPOF blast e-mail system at the request of any of the statewide candidates. At this point, Sen. Dockery has not requested that RPOF resources be utilized to distribute her press releases to our subscribers,” Gordon said.

Marco Rubio greets then-Gov. Jeb Bush on his way to being sworn in as House speaker in 2006. (AP Photo)

Former Gov. Jeb Bush weighed in Friday on the Republican primary battle between Gov. Charlie Crist and former House Speaker Marco Rubio, saying national party leaders should let the two hammer it out with voters.

“The idea that the national party would pick a winner a year and a half before an election is the wrong way to go.”

But Bush either really likes Rubio in this race or he doesn’t care about the apparent contraction he made in the same speech by encouraging a similar crowning of Bill McCollum’s gubernatorial campaign. The attorney general became the front-runner for the party’s nomination after a slew of GOP heavies signed on this summer and drove off potential challengers, such as Agricultural Commissioner Charles Bronson.

Bush praised Republican candidate for governor Bill McCollum as a person “who I think is a fantastic guy and is worthy of your support.”

Original reporting of Bush’s speech can be found here from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

From left to right: Diaz-Balart, Martinez, Smith

Martinez is on Crist’s short list to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, who is stepping down 15 months before his term ends in November.

Martinez (Bobby) is a former U.S. prosecutor who sits on the state Board of Education and was a chief transition aide to both Crist and Jeb Bush when they took over as governor.

Last week, Crist asked Martinez (Bobby), U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and former Attorney General and Secretary of State Jim Smith, now a top-tier Tallahassee lobbyist, to apply as Martinez’ fill-in for the next 15 months.

Crist is leaving office next year after just one term to run for the post himself.

Bobby Martinez is considered by some GOP operatives to be the likeliest candidate to replace Mel Martinez, and not because they share the same surname.

Sources close to Diaz-Balart say that he today withdrew his name from consideration for the post.

And Smith’s lobbying career could make him vulnerable to criticism, although he’s considering retiring. Quitting his lobbying job may not quell objections, however. His partner Brian Ballard, one of Crist’s closest advisers, is also his son-in-law.

GOP Senate candidate Joe Negron is ramping up efforts to secure an Aug. 4 special election win in response to Moveon.org’s entry into the race to replace retiring Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie.

Negron sent an e-mail appeal to supporters today asking for cash to fight back against the organization which he said “has sent operatives” into District 28 to help turn out the vote for his Democratic opponent Bill Ramos.

“Thanks to your hard work and support, my campaign is doing very well and I am confident that we will win the race on August 4. However, I am not taking anything for granted, particularly in a special election with an expected low turn-out. I take MoveOn.org seriously because I saw first hand how effective they were in helping President Obama win Florida in the 2008 Election,” Negron wrote.

Negron, a former House member from Stuart, is going to spend about $50,000 to collect the absentee ballots “from my supporters” and includes a letter from former Gov. Jeb Bush along with door-to-door canvassing and phone banks, according to the e-mail.

Negron’s collected nearly $387,000 so far and spent about $236,000.

Ramos, who made the ballot by collecting signatures instead of paying the qualifying fee, collected just over $24,000 and spent nearly $19,000 thus far.

Ramos

Former Gov. Jeb Bush told the L.A. Times in January that he was impressed with President Obama and called the Democrat “smart, disciplined, not rash.”

But in an interview with Esquire magazine published today, Bush accuses Obama of having a “secret plan” he kept from voters in the campaign:

“He would not have gotten elected if he’d said, “My idea is to create a $1.8 trillion deficit for the next fiscal year. My idea is to spend $750 billion [the president's budget estimate puts this figure at $630 billion] over the next ten years on a government-sponsored, government-subsidized health-care policy. My idea is to create a massive cap-and-trade system [based on the idea] that CO2 is [a] pollutant and we need to tax it in a massive way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.” … Had he said what he was going to do as a candidate, [Obama] would have lost.”

Bush goes on to compare approval ratings of his brother, former President George W. Bush, and Obama.

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Jose Lorenzo, a Department of Education lawyer who filed an ethics complaint today against Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink for her use of the state plane, is an appointee of Republicans Gov. Charlie Crist and his predecessor Jeb Bush.

Bush appointed Lorenzo to the 2nd judicial circuit nomination commission in 2004. Crist reappointed him for another four-year term in September. Lorenzo is the chairman of the commission, which make recommendations for judicial appointments.

Lorenzo also contributed $550 in total to Bush and Crist since 2001, according to state elections records. His most recent contribution was a $50 check to Crist’s gubernatorial campaign in 2006.

Sink, a Democrat, is running for governor in 2010. Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican, is also in the race for the post.

Neither Crist nor Bush have officially endorsed McCollum - yet. But Bush is highlighting a fundraiser for McCollum at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami tomorrow night.

From former Gov. Jeb Bush’s spokeswoman, Kristy Campbell:

Governor Bush is not considering a 2010 gubernatorial run in Florida. He will continue to play a constructive role in the future of the Republican Party, advocating conservative solutions to the 21st century challenges we face, specifically in the area of education.

It’s official.

After months of speculation, Republican Charlie Crist announced this morning he will forgo a second term as governor and instead run for the open U.S. Senate seat in 2010.

“Here in Florida, we’ve shown that when we put people first and work together much can be accomplished, and I intend to bring that same approach to Washington,” Crist said in a statement.

“That is why, after thoughtful consideration with my wife Carole, I have decided to run for the U.S. Senate.”

(Read the statement here.)

Crist is the first governor to decline a re-election bid since voters amended the constitution in 1968 to let the state’s chief executive seek a second four-year term.

It will be Crist’s fourth campaign in 10 years, all for different statewide elected seats. No other Florida politician has been elected to four different statewide seats.

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The announcement was met with an immediate endorsement from Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. (Read that statement here.)

The endorsement is significant considering Crist’s announcement creates a GOP primary with former House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami. Rubio has indicated he would remain in the race even if “more famous” candidates entered.

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Jeb Bush, who turns 55 today, decided to give John McCain a gift - his endorsement.

Golly. . .when was the Florida primary?

The Q bets Mike Huckabee is really steamed - there goes the election.

In a statement from the McCain campaign both men say the other is really swell.

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The Wall Street Journal’s opinion page sharply criticized Gov. Crist today with a little help from former Gov. Jeb Bush.

The Journal is unhappy with Florida taking on much of the insurance risk in the event of a major hurricane.

Using the headline - Hurricane Jeb

From the Journal: Mr. Bush criticizing states that are crafting disaster insurance plans “that are as bad as the natural disasters themselves.” Which states? “My beloved state of Florida has taken steps along that path.” Ouch.

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It looked like Katherine Harris was going to miss Thursday’s rally in Orlando with President Bush and Charlie Crist.

Harris’ schedule showed her participating in votes in Washington Thursday and then attending the River City Republican Club in Atlantic Beach, near Jacksonville, around the same time as the evening rally.

That prompted reporters Tuesday to question Crist and Jeb Bush about why Harris wasn’t going to be there.

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HIALEAH — Florida Republicans saw the close of the Jeb Bush era in a small Cuban restaurant Thursday just an hour before lunch.

Few noticed.

But the moment was clear. Gov. Bush, who for 12 years has dominated the Florida Republican Party, stood before the packed crowd in Chico’s and, after a few brief remarks, said, “I would like to introduce my friend, the next governor of the state of Florida, Charlie Crist.”

Then as Bush moved to the back of the stage, the crowd began chanting, “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” Some in the largely Cuban-American crowd used the Spanish “Carlito!”

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Gov. Jeb Bush has used his recently revived nonprofit foundation to pay a former campaign finance director and two former campaign aides.

Although Bush has said his Foundation for Florida’s Future is not a way of keeping his political machine intact after he leaves office early next year, recent disclosures on the foundation’s Web site show that it paid:

• Nearly $99,000 to Ann Herberger, Bush’s campaign finance director during two campaign and a longtime political fund-raiser for his family.

• Nearly $70,000 to Neil Newhouse of Washington-based GOP Public Opinion Strategies group for polling last October.

• $48,000 for “management services” to a lobbying and public-affairs firm whose staff includes Mandy Clark and Mandy Fletcher. Both worked on Bush’s reelection campaign and on his brother’s presidential reelection campaign.

• $23,500 for “legal services” from the Washington law and lobbying firm Patton Boggs.

• $20,000 in February to GOP political strategist Adam Goodman’s The Victory Group Inc.

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ST. PETERSBURG — Florida’s four candidates for governor offered strikingly different views of the state’s education system Friday with Republicans talking about great gains and Democrats arguing that Florida schools have suffered severe setbacks.

Gov. Jeb Bush and the GOP led legislature have brought the state better schools, more accountability and higher scores in reading, argued GOP candidates Charlie Crist and Tom Gallagher.

Not so, said Democrats Jim Davis and Rod Smith. Both argued that Republicans have turned schools into testing centers while failing to increase teacher pay and reduce class size. “I’m proud of what Gov. Bush has done to bring more accountability to schools,” said Crist, Florida’s attorney general.

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A new national CNN poll has surprisingly bad numbers for Jeb Bush.

Here’s excerpts from CNN’s report:

With the presidential election more than two years away, a CNN poll released Monday suggests that nearly half of Americans would “definitely not vote for” Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Among the Republicans, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani fared better than the Democrats, and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush fared worse.

Only 30 percent said they would “definitely not vote for” Giuliani; 34 percent said that of McCain.

As for Bush, brother of the current president, 63 percent said there was no way he would get their vote. The younger Bush has denied interest in running for president in 2008.

Read more here.

Jeb Bush’s future has been the object of speculation nationwide, but the governor with just six months left in his eight-year tenure has let on more about what he won’t do than what he will.

National Football League commissioner? Nah. Presidential candidate? Nope. U.S. senator? No way.

Whatever may be in store for Bush, one thing is certain: He won’t be idling on the sidelines watching his legacy quietly fade away.

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