Bush Hires Professional Campaign Operatives

Governor Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future has been paying three of his former campaign operatives and a number of other leading campaign consultants, including:

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 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 Patton Boggs, the largest lobbying shop in Washington, DC.

$20,000 in February to GOP political strategist Adam Goodman's the Victory Group.

These actions are not the actions of a man moving into a life of quiet
philanthropy. This is what a man does when he raising his profile in preparation for a national campaign, which should to put to rest any suggestions that Gov. Bush does not want the presidency. However, it does raise the question as to whether he is moving up his schedule and planning run as early as 2008.