Bush endorses Romney as presidential candidate
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E-mail Xinhua, May 16, 2012
Former U.S. president George W. Bush expressed his support on Tuesday for Mitt Romney to become the Republican presidential candidate in the 2012 election.
"I'm for Mitt Romney," Bush told ABC News reporters on Tuesday after he gave a speech in Washington D.C..
Bush's endorsement is no surprise but still a symbolic message, given that Romney has virtually become the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.
Bush has avoided public spotlight after he left office and moved to Dallas. He has been absent from the 2012 presidential campaign, not even commenting much on Romney, who aspires to his previous job in the White House.
In contrast, former president Bill Clinton has made an impressive presence through sitting President Barack Obama's reelection campaign trail and showing up frequently in campaign events, ads and fundraisers.
It's not clear whether Bush will be campaigning for Romney later this year, or whether Romney's team is willing to see a tie between the two. Bush got quite a lot of blame for the poor economy, an "inherited" burden Obama has frequently cited since he took office more than three years ago, and particularly on his reelection campaign trail. Undoubtedly the economy is the No. 1 issue in this year's presidential race.
Bush's parents, former president George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush, also endorsed Romney in March. An AP-GfK poll released last summer showed about 51 percent of Americans still blamed the junior Bush for the economy.
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