This week's cover of TIME Magazine features former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The interview was conducted two weeks ago at Bush’s office in Dallas. They were recently on hand for a graduation ceremony at The George W. Bush Presidential Institute.
The pair talked about their unlikely alliance and what roles they’ll play in 2016.
Interview Highlights:
Bush talks about Jeb's 2016 campaign: “You know, I’m pulling for Jeb as hard as I can pull for him… [I]f he needs my help, he’ll call me. Otherwise I’m on the sidelines, and happily so…. All these campaigns have a sting to them if one of your loved ones is in the arena… It’s just the nature of the deal…. I’m sure there will be moments where somebody says something about Jeb or somebody writes something about Jeb that will sting. I shouldn’t say I’m used to it, but the emotions I felt when our dad was criticized really got me for a while… I think I’ll feel the same thing about Jeb. It’ll be interesting to see how affected I become."
Bush talks about how things will unfold during the 2016 campaign: "I can’t tell you who is going to win, but I can tell you what’s going to happen…. There’s kind of a general pattern. And there will be flashes in the pans, there will be this crisis, there will be the funding thing. There will be all these things that happen, but eventually the person who can best lead their party will be nominated."
On their advice for Obama post-presidency Bush says, "I can’t speak to him about that…I can tell you what makes me happy. He’s just going to have to figure it out himself, don’t you think, Bill?" Clinton then adds, “I think Obama will do great…I think he’ll have a good, successful post-presidency."
Read the rest of the interview here.
