Is Jeb Bush's Foundation Really a 2016 Team?

Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education is, on paper, devoted to education reform—but it's also chock-full of former political operatives, communications staffers, and other types who could easily be turned into a campaign team, BuzzFeed reports, adding fuel to the rumors Bush is considering a run for president in 2016. "The chatter is he's up to something," says a Democratic operative in Florida. And a Republican strategist in the state points out that Bush kept his campaign staff together after losing the 1994 gubernatorial race and has "a historical precedent for being prepared."

Though a spokesperson for the foundation confirms that it is growing quickly (it now touches 40 states), she rejects BuzzFeed's idea. "Our team has grown solely to better support our reform mission ... Anyone who suggests other reasons for our growth is incorrect," she says. But the Washington Post also reports that Bush has 2016 on the brain as he engages in a media blitz surrounding the release of his new book, Immigration Wars. As the Post puts it, Bush "is now clearly considering a run for the White House." He's even discussing the possibility in interviews rather than brushing off the idea, and a longtime adviser says he "will seriously think about it." (More Jeb Bush stories.)