It’s difficult to argue with Jeb Bush on this point, too.  We only just finished the 2012 presidential election, which occupied most of 2011, too.  Appearing on Meet the Press yesterday, David Gregory asked Bush to handicap the 2016 election while we’re still 20 months away from the next midterms. After laughing out loud, Bush described the media as “crack addicts“:

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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), growing tired about speculation over a 2016 White House run and his relationship with one-time protégé Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), called the media a bunch of “crack addicts.”

“Man you guys are crack addicts. You really are obsessed with all these politics. Marco Rubio is a great guy,” Bush told NBC’s David Gregory, after the “Meet the Press” host asked him about who is Florida’s hottest politician.

Gregory was momentarily taken aback.

“Sir, I’ve been called a lot of things…” Gregory began before Bush amended his response.

“OK, heroin addict. Is that better?” Bush said.

Earlier, Bush dismissed the idea that the American public might have Bush fatigue, and insisted that history would treat his father and brother well:

When asked whether the legacy of his brother, former President George W. Bush, who has a higher unfavorable than favorable rating, would be a liability, Bush said no.

“I don’t think there’s any Bush baggage at all. I love my brother. I’m proud of his accomplishments. I love my dad. I’m proud to be a Bush and if I run for president it’s not because of something in my DNA that compels me to do it,” Bush said on “Fox News Sunday” after host Chris Wallace cited a poll showing the former president with a 49 percent unfavorable rating.

“It would be that it’s the right the thing to do for my family, that the conditions are right and that I have something to offer,” he added.

Bush took his name out of consideration in the lead-up to the 2012 Republican presidential primary. He has kept his name in the mix this year, however, and people close to him say he is considering the prospect of a White House campaign much more closely than before the last election cycle.

Sounds as though the media aren’t the only addicts in play here.  On paper, minus the surname, Bush makes an excellent candidate — very popular in an enormously important swing state, three successful terms as governor, and a national profile.  Regardless, that surname identifies Bush with an older establishment that is evaporating in the GOP.  Whether that’s fair or not, it’s not easy to see how Bush can make an argument that he represents a newer Republican Party that wants to look forward to a new leadership group.