TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 24, 2006) -- Gov. Jeb Bush is getting tired of people trying to plan his life after he leaves office in January.
First, his brother, the president, hinted Bush should consider his own run for the Oval Office in 2008.
And now comes the National Football League, which had an emissary gauge his interest in replacing commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who is retiring this summer.
To both, Bush's response was thanks, but no.
"I'm flattered," Bush said of the NFL's interest, "but I'm governor of the state of Florida, and I intend to be governor until I leave -- which is January 2007. And I'm not going to consider any other options other than being governor until I finish."
He doesn't believe NFL officials will hold the position open until then.
Bush said the issue was discussed at a recent meeting with Patrick Rooney Sr., according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Rooney's brother is Dan Rooney, owner of Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers and co-chair of the search committee looking to replace the retiring Paul Tagliabue.
"I met with Mr. Rooney and I said, 'I'm doing my job until I'm finished and then I'm going to consider other things,' " Bush told the newspaper.
No matter the buzz -- including whispers about a run for U.S. Senate and the GOP's vice presidential nomination in 2008 -- Bush says he's focused on simply finishing his second term.
"I swore to uphold the laws of this state and I interpreted that a little broader, perhaps, to mean also that I was going to work 24-7, that I was going to finish strong," Bush said. "And so a day doesn't go by where someone doesn't have a great idea for what my life looks like in 2007 and beyond and I'm not entertaining any discussion about it."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
http://nfl.com/news/story/9458556