Bush Charts Tricky Course

“Most potential Republican presidential contenders are renouncing the national educational standards known as Common Core. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has championed measuring academic achievement for two decades, is doubling down,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Mr. Bush’s embrace of Common Core, as well as his support for legalizing undocumented immigrants, is coming to define his national profile ahead of a possible 2016 presidential bid. These stances isolate him from the conservatives who dominate Republican nominating contests…. But political strategists also say Mr. Bush could emerge as a stronger general-election candidate by embracing his education record, unlike Mitt Romney, who distanced himself from his signature health-care initiative as governor of Massachusetts as he sought conservative backing in the primaries.”