By Kartik Krishnaiyer

The national political media is addicted to Jeb Bush. This week they gave the former Governor more attention than they did President Obama and Speaker Boehner. The media appears to be in awe of Jeb Bush without properly examining his record as a failed Governor of Florida but Bush’s words this week were truly shocking. Today Bush appeared on every major public affairs program and during the week he hit every network imaginable multiple times.

Regarding his Immigration flip flip, Bush said on CBS “The book was written to try to create a blueprint for conservatives that were reluctant to embrace comprehensive reform, to give them perhaps a set of views that they could embrace. I support a path to legalization or citizenship so long as the path for people that have been waiting patiently is easier and costs less, the legal entrance to our country, than illegal entrance.”

As I wrote last week,  I actually give Bush a pass for his contradictory stands on a path to citizenship. Bush’s manuscript for his book must have been submitted months ago and the debate on immigration reform has shifted significantly since then. But what seems obvious is Bush who always seemed in control from a messaging standpoint isn’t doing a particularly good job this week. He seems to be all over the place in his comments perhaps as a result of doing so many media appearances in such a short period of time.

Bush sees no baggage in his family name, no baggage in his own record and interestingly no obligation to run for President because of his family lineage. But honestly would he have ever become Florida Governor without that family lineage? Bush never would have emerged as anything remotely resembling serious candidate for Florida Governor without his family name and the fact that he is in the public consciousness and is the flavor of year for DC talking heads and the GOP plutocracy is solely down to his last name. Jeb Bush has been out of public office for six years now and last appeared on a ballot ten years ago. Yet he is being considered a front runner for 2016 by the media. It is unfathomable to believe his name and his family has nothing to do with this.

Despite the fact that many conservative pundits and media personalities want Bush to run in 2016, he seems to lack a real political base to run from outside of talking heads. The Governor is still popular in Florida, but how he has been characterized by the press means he will never be the favorite of Tea Party activists, and his inability to yet clearly define himself as an “electable” alternative to those also discussing 2016 must have his proponents worried.

The damage done to Congressman Paul Ryan from his association with Mitt Romney failed candidacy will wear off, and some savvy Republican Governor will emerge in the next few years as a Presidential contender. At that point the interest in Bush as a Republican messiah will likely wane and this week in March 2013 could be long forgotten.