The American Spectator

With Mitt Romney moving toward the Republican presidential nomination, the veepstakes are now in full bloom. Chris Christie is being scrutinized for his judicial picks. Others are being tested in the polls. It will therefore be interesting to see if there is any reaction of this interview with Marco Rubio.

Before CNN’s Candy Crowley tried to pin Rubio down on whether he’d accept a place on Romney’s ticket, she asked him how a President Romney would differ from President George W. Bush. “I haven’t gone through the comparison,” the Florida senator replied. “I think that presidents serve in different times with different challenges. And so I think that George W. Bush, in my opinion, did a fantastic job as president over eight years, facing a set of circumstances during those eight years that are different from the circumstances that a President Romney would face.”

“Fantastic” was also the adjective Rubio used to describe his friend Jeb Bush as a possible Romney running mate himself. Obviously this won’t be a big deal to parts of the Republican base, who like the Bushes. But much of the country — ranging from moderate swing voters to some Tea Party conservatives — would like the next administration to be different from George W. Bush’s.