Not a lot of space between them.
Asked "Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion" of Iraq, Jeb Bush answered "I would," and
what's more, that "if they’re trying to find places where there’s big space between me and my brother, this might not be one of those." Clearly saying that you'd have invaded Iraq knowing what a flimsy set of, uh, careful misrepresentations the George W. Bush administration built its case for war on is a political loser of an answer, so theories abound that Bush didn't mean what he said or didn't hear the question. His former aide Ana Navarro went on CNN Tuesday morning
to make that claim:
"I emailed him this morning and I said to him, 'Hey, I'm a little confused by this answer so I'm genuinely wondering did you mishear the question?'" Navarro said. "And he said, 'Yes, I misheard the question.'"
In other words, he didn't hear the "Knowing what we know now" part. Which is interesting, since video shows interviewer Megyn Kelly
speaking those words clearly and firmly, then pausing briefly. We'll see if Bush himself has the nerve to come out with the "I didn't hear the question and that's why I said something politically damaging" defense, but if he does ... well, bullshit. Kelly did not mumble, she did not slur, her tone and pacing signaled "this right here is the important part of the question." The only way Bush "didn't hear" her is if, when he heard the intro to the question was about Iraq, his brain shut down its connection to his ears in a frantic attempt to remember what his talking point on this subject was. That's not "didn't hear," that's "didn't listen." And seriously, why would anyone even bother asking Bush if he would have authorized the Iraq war knowing only his brother's case for invasion? Talk about questions with answers we already know.
So if Bush wants to come out and say for himself that he was answering the question he thought he was going to hear, not the question he was actually asked, we will listen to his excuses with interest. And we will roll our eyes and replay the video of Megyn Kelly saying very clearly "knowing what we know now," and point out the part of Bush's answer where he said there wasn't a lot of space between him and his brother on this issue, and ask "So ... which is it going to be: you can keep the part of the answer where you would have authorized the invasion of Iraq knowing what we know now, or you can keep the part where there's not a lot of space between you and your brother, your trusted Middle East adviser. But you can't really keep both. Choose fast!"