Former President George H.W. Bush appeared to give an early presidential endorsement to Mitt Romney Monday, when he told CNN's Larry King in an interview that he thought he would be a strong candidate and good leader.
"He's a reasonable guy," George Bush said of Romney. "He's a conservative fellow, that's good. But no, I think he'd be a good president, a very good president."
Bush continued:
"If you asked me, who will the nominee be, I couldn't tell you. We like Mitt Romney. We know him well and like him very much."
George H.W. Bush's son, Jeb, had also been floated as a potential contender in 2012, but the former president and his wife played down any possible immediate aspirations from the former Florida governor. Their willingness to support another likely candidate, perhaps the strongest at this time according to a recent Quinnipiac poll, may signify that Jeb Bush really isn't considering a run.
Both Bushes also weighed in on the Sarah Palin buzz, seemingly giving the conservative superstar's possible ambitions a cool review.
"I sat next to her once. Thought she was beautiful," Barbara Bush said of Palin. "And she's very happy in Alaska, and I hope she'll stay there."
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.