Why Can't George W. Bush Bring Himself to Vote for Kamala Harris or Tell Us Why He Won't?

While former Vice-President Dick Cheney has publicly endorsed Kamala Harris for President, former President George W. Bush will not do the same.

The office of the former President issued a statement indicating, "President Bush retired from presidential politics years ago."

While Bush is within his right to keep his vote to himself, this is nevertheless a cop out.

Former Vice-President Cheney has been retired from public life for equally long and this has not prevented him from taking a stand. As I argued a couple of days ago:

But now that Cheney has endorsed Harris one must ask what excuse Republicans have to keep supporting Trump? One can also ask what excuse Republicans have to stay silent?

Will we hear from former President George W. Bush? Mitt Romney? Paul Ryan?

It remains to be seen, but the Cheneys have thrown down the gauntlet and Republicans won't be able to ignore the question if they too will support Kamala Harris.

Well, it would seem Bush is doing his best to do just that. But that isn't good enough.

After all, in April 2021, Bush revealed he wrote in Condoleezza Rice on his presidential ballot in 2020. 

If I were to hazard a guess, he'll probably do the same this time around. So why can't he tell us now?

If Bush cannot bring himself to vote for Harris, then he should say so and tell us why. But if he is prepared to vote for Harris then what is he so afraid of? Does he think endorsement would do more harm than good? Or is he simply unable to put country over party? Or perhaps family name over country?

Assuming Bush will write in Condi Rice or for that matter Liz Cheney, it is worth remembering that in declaring her intention to vote for Harris she pointedly stated, "I don't believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates' names, particularly in swing states." 

While one might not consider Texas a swing state, Harris has pulled within the margin of error with Trump in the Lone Star State. So, Bush's support for Harris could help make a difference. One can only hope the Cheneys work behind the scenes to urge the 43rd President to reconsider his decision.