WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER PRE-FLORIDA:

Jeb Bush: John McCain (Mark Silva, 2/11/08, The Swamp)

Now that President Bush has shown his hand -- all but endorsing Republican presidential candidate John McCain in a Fox News interview held at Camp David over the weekend in which Bush called McCain a true conservative -- the president's younger brother has stepped forward.

Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, added his name today to McCain's campaign endorsements. However, while the endorsement was made public by the campaign today, Bush tells the Swamp that he wrote a check to Sen. McCain last week.

"John McCain is a patriot and devoted conservative leader," Jeb Bush said, in a statement distributed by the McCain campaign. "Like no other candidate in the field, John McCain has made tremendous sacrifices for this nation.

"He is beholden to no interest other than that of the public good,'' Jeb Bush said. "He is determined and steadfast in his commitment to reducing the burden of high taxes, restoring the people's trust in their government, and winning the war against radical Islamic extremists.''