Nepotism is a Bush administration hallmark- but don't count on this one. "Instant Loss"

In a season (and era) of anti-George W. Bush sentiment, picking Jeb Bush for the second spot on the ticket would be catastrophic as he would, unwittingly, bring in a firestorm of controversy to the forefront- and most of it due to the fact of name association. Nevermind that he was a popular (and arguably successful) two-term governor in a state that the Republicans need in order to keep the White House- but frankly, John McCain would likely benefit from distancing himself from the Bush family altogether and re-emphasize his status as a maverick. And if Florida is a major point of contention on the electoral map for McCain, he could always turn to Governor Charlie Crist to be his running mate. But voting for Bush, fairly or unfairly, would spell the death knell for McCain's presidential hopes.

Name association. No refelection on ability, but that name along with McCain's on a bumper sticker won't sell.

Pretty sure he could deliver Florida in a close vote, if ya know what I mean.

Jeb's greatest achievment as governor was saving every Florida taxpayer about 43 cents by denying false teeth and eyeglasses to the elderly and handicapped poor.

 Based on current American 'values' he's definitely 'presidential'. 

Given the political environment, picking Jeb Bush would only highlight the GOP's problems with their name brand. In between the weak economy and war in Iraq, the parties status among voters has been badly damaged. Why highlight this fact by putting another Bush on the ticket? Sorry, Jeb was not a bad governor, but his family is currently radioactive. McCain needs to put some distance between him and the Bushes in order to have a reasonable chance in November--I assume he understands this.

Once again, McCain is too smart to make this mistake.  Given the current incumbent's approval ratings the last thing the GOP needs is to put this name front and center in the voters mind.

I like Jeb Bush...however that last name is probably one that the Republicans want to stay away from for the time being.

No way! Should there be an unexpected accident for McCain when he's in office, this man will duplicate what our current president did in his 2 terms. Other than George Bush Sr., the family in politics are idiots.

I agree with numbah and magellan, I think the majority of people do not want to see that surname for assistant movie usher at this point, anyone but Bush.. This is a near impossible suggestion for VP, and the Republicans would have to come up with a far better candidate than this.... is Chester Arthur still dead?

No Bush. At this point the name is somewhat soiled and would lose votes.

I think there's a bit of Bush fatigue at this point.

How does the name Jeb Clampett sound?

Policy wise it would be fine, but as has been mentioned before it comes down to people getting tired of a name. If you go back to January 1981, someone named Bush or Clinton has been either president or vice-president. People get tired of seeing the same name, and we'll have had someone named Bush in one of those two offices for 20 of those 28 years.

I wouldn't be opposed to it, however I think it may be a bad idea if you want McCain to be elected. There are too many people who dislike anyone named Bush these days, and it's just not worth the risk.