Jeb Bush and Latin America

Boz notes that Jeb Bush's Latin America advisors are Otto Reich, John Negroponte, Roger Noriega, and Lincoln Diaz-Balart. Put simply, these are voices that will insist the Cold War never really ended. There are still Communists around every corner.

My first take is that he wants to counterbalance his image on immigration, which is far too empathetic for Republican primaries. Deflect questions on Honduran children by emphasizing his commitment to destroying the Nicolás Maduros of the world.

My second take is to realize that there are a number of different potential Republican candidates, and Bush has already taken the main arch-conservative voices. Not that there aren't others, but these are the loudest, and you can't go any further to the right. Conservative Latin America experts will be in demand.

These are also very anti-Castro voices. One interesting question is whether any Republican takes a more pro-business, libertarian view of U.S.-Cuban relations. Rand Paul, maybe, but what about others?

As always, we have to remember that Latin America won't be a major issue in the campaign. On the other hand, Cuba and immigration are hot topics so they will creep in there.