Allen West not ruling out 2016

“No one should ever sit around and say, ‘I want to be president,’” the retired lieutenant colonel tells me. “That’s a position that somebody needs to be called to serve.”

West, who spent 22 years in the U.S. Army and one term in Congress before losing his bid for reelection in 2012, says he will always be ready to serve his country. “You have to have yourself in a position to be available for your country and to be obedient to God’s will,” he says. …

Right now, West’s attention is focused squarely on the upcoming midterm elections. “If we can’t be successful out of 2014 to influence a conservative legislative agenda, I don’t think 2016 matters,” he says. “If we are successful, then we build upon that success, and we’ll see how I can be a part of that success.”