Jeb thinks America wants more Bush, can't decide whether to punch brown people

Good news, if you want a sequel! Jeb Bush created a bit of a stir yesterday by pre-announcing his interest in a 2016 presidential bid ("I won't [rule it out] but I'm not going to declare today either"). Suggested slogan: "I'm not the stupid one."

Then again, Bush would have to get through a GOP primary with a tea-flavored base that hates his brother for being a "big government socialist Republican" (not kidding), and really, Jeb speaks fluent Spanish and didn't hate immigrants enough, as he wrote back in January:

America's immigration system should provide opportunities for people who share the country's core values to become citizens, thereby strengthening the nation as have countless immigrants have before them.

Despite a polarized polity, the country has a historic opportunity for bipartisan reform. It is time to seize the moment.

Or does he? Jeb took a look at the last two Republican nominees, John McCain and Mitt Romney, and decided yesterday to give that approach a shot:
 

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Monday he does not support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., a central provision of immigration reform plans being considered by Congress.

Bush has long chided the Republican Party to adopt immigration reform and improve its outreach to minority and immigrant voters. But he said that a path to citizenship would violate the rule of law, and instead is proposing giving a path to legal permanent residency to many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country.

Brilliant! Now that will get him through a GOP primary, right? Indeed, Republicans are all in love with the notion that they can reverse their woes with Latino voters (or their "demographic winter," as the white supremacists like to say) by agreeing not to deport them, but never give them the chance to become American. Bush's new position lined up nicely with a new book he put out arguing the same'no path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Case closed!

Except that someone must've reminded Jeb about those demographic realities. Remember, if everyone voted in 2016 exactly how they voted in 2012, the Democratic victory margin would go up from 3.9 points to 5.2. And Bush's actions Monday did nothing to mitigate that 1.3-point demographic disadvantage that he would face. In fact, it exacerbated it.

So today he flipped yet again.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) told MSNBC's Morning Joe on Tuesday that he would support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants 'if you can craft that in law where you can have a path to citizenship where there isn't an incentive for people to come illegally' ' a position that puts him at odds with his new book, out today from Simon & Schuster.

Sheesh. Jeb is starting to make Romney look like a model of stability and deep conviction.