Reports: Jeb Bush A No-Go For Senate; Sanjay Gupta For Surgeon General

Two new reports circulating in the blogosphere:

Politico's Jonathan Martin reports that Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, will not run for the Senate seat of retiring Republican Mel Martinez. Martin quotes Mario Rubio, the ex-state House speaker, as saying Bush felt "it just wasn't the right timing." Rubio himself now looks likely to run, writes Martin:

Rubio, a close Bush ally who was waiting on the former governor's decision, said he would now "seriously explore the opportunity."

"I'll be meeting with family and supporters in the weeks ahead and make a decision shortly there after."

Rubio will visit with Republican campaign officials in Washington next week ahead of a likely bid.

Roll Call's John McArdle lists several House members who are considering the race, including Connie Mack IV (R), Allen Boyd (D) and Ron Klein (D). McArdle adds, "Most insiders remain focused on whether the state's chief financial officer, Alex Sink, will run. Sink is a moderate who is the only elected statewide Democrat."

Florida Democratic state Chair Karen Thurman said in a statement that she is confident her party will win the Senate seat: "Over the past several years, Democrats have made major gains in Florida winning three of the six statewide elections. On November 2, 2010, Florida will be electing another strong Democrat to the U.S. Senate, who will work to implement President-elect Barack Obama's vision of change and join Sen. Bill Nelson in representing the Sunshine State in the tradition of Bob Graham and Lawton Chiles."

Back to Jeb: I never felt that Jeb Bush had a great desire to come to Washington, let alone serve in the Senate. But both his father, the former president, and his brother, the current president, have talked up the prospect of Jeb for Senate in recent days.

It would have been Jeb, the legend goes, rather than George W., who was elected president in 2000, had Jeb not lost to Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1994. There have always been whispers that Jeb was the family favorite, as well as the smarter politician. But in '94, as Jeb was losing in Florida, George W. was unseating Ann Richards in Texas. And by 2000, he -- not Jeb, who wasn't elected gov until 1998 -- was on the fast track to the GOP presidential nomination.

The other piece of news comes from The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz, who reports that President-elect Obama has offered the post of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and CNN correspondent, who apparently wants the job. Kurtz offers more:

The final vetting process is under way. He has asked for a few days to figure out the financial and logistical details of moving his family from Atlanta to Washington but is expected to accept the offer. ...

The offer followed a two-hour Chicago meeting in November with Obama, who said that Gupta could be the highest-profile surgeon general in history and would have an expanded role in providing health policy advice, the sources said. Gupta later spoke with Tom Daschle, Obama's White House health czar and nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, and other advisers to the president-elect.

The Michigan-born son of Indian and Pakistani parents, Gupta has always been drawn to health policy. He was a White House fellow in the late 1990s, writing speeches and crafting policy for Hillary Clinton. His appointment would give the administration a prominent official of Southwest Asian descent and a skilled television spokesman. ...

Gupta's only hesitation in taking the post is said to involve the financial impact on his pregnant wife and two children if he gives up his lucrative medical and journalistic careers. But he is expected to accept the position within days.

The offer, if it is made, comes after CNN anchor Lou Dobbs was not offered the job as homeland security secretary.