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As I mentioned yesterday, I was invited to have "breakfast" with Jeb Bush, a potential 2016 presidential candidate.  Well, it wasn't exactly what I would call breakfast.  In fact, I didn't see a pancake in sight.  But it was a bit of a media circus. 

Nevada has become a presidential battleground state.  Our state caucus (similar to a primary) is one of the earliest - 4th to be exact - after Ohio and New Hampshire and the others.  So, every presidential candidate wants to include Nevada in their early line-up of states to visit.  And Northern Nevada will play a much greater role in the state caucus this year.  Before we were only considered a suburb of Las Vegas (even though we are over 500 miles away).  Not any more.  So, over the next six months or so, I would imagine that we will have a parade of all the candidates. 

Why I was invited to this little get together, I don't know.  But there were about 70 people invited.  Jeb Bush talked for about 20 minutes, about the possibility of him running for the presidency, his vision for the future and some of the key issues at stake.  Then he opened it up for questions for at least 45 minutes.  The questions related to immigration reform, education, jobs, and a host of others.  He also was asked - in a more pointed fashion - about his response to Megyn Kelly's question on Monday "Knowing what you know now, would you have authorized the invasion of Iraq?".  Personally, I don't see what the big deal is with his original response, but the press keeps hammering on it.  Anyway, he very succinctly stated that with the intelligence and information that was available at the time to his brother, George W. Bush, he very likely would have made the same decision, as would most of congress (including former Senator Clinton) and most of the American people over the threat of national security.  It is clear that the media wants to "hang" his brother's issues on him.  I was impressed that he handles the attacks with such tact and gracefulness. 

As I have said before, I am not a political person, although I have contributed my thoughts from time to time, and have spoken at public meetings on issues before.  But I was glad that I was invited.  I was expecting to leave disappointed, but that wasn't the case.  Jeb Bush will be a force to be reckoned with if he chooses to run. 

So, now back to the photo.  The organizers suggested that cameras were not really appreciated, but, of course, everyone had cell phones (and a few smuggled cameras in).  I found it fascinating that the media was out in such force.  This cameraman decided to use me to establish his focus.  I was speaking with the person sitting next to me, and the cameraman was photographing me the entire time.  I decided to reciprocate by taking his picture with my iPhone.  The cameraman told me later that he had the sound off.  I hope so.  I really don't want to be on tonight's news - we were talking about our dogs.  

Oh, and I did manage a really poor photo from my iPhone of Jeb Bush.  I added it as an extra photo.