First Read: “Jeb Bush is giving his first big foreign-policy speech since signaling his White House ambitions. And according to advanced excerpts of his remarks, he certainly sounds like a hawk — in both describing his world views and criticizing the Obama administration.”

“Now it’s important to note that Bush’s rhetoric isn’t much different than what we’ve heard from other Republicans over the past few years — Mitt Romney, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, etc… What’s noteworthy, of course, is that this rhetoric is coming from someone whose last name is Bush. With the U.S. economy continuing to improve, foreign policy is certainly a ripe place for Republicans to criticize the Obama administration — and Hillary Clinton by association. Indeed, the fact that ISIS is now in Libya (a war of choice by the Obama White House and Clinton’s State Department) is a real weakness. But the question is whether someone whose last name is Bush can exploit this Obama/Clinton weakness.”

Politico: “So while even close Bush watchers began to doubt whether he was really serious about running, he and a close-knit group of advisers were following a careful plan aimed at maximizing his chances of winning the nomination, if and when he gave the thumbs up.”

“Their strategy was to publicly downplay his interest in the race and avoid media attention, while quietly laying the groundwork for a launch that would catch much of Washington – and many of his potential rivals – flat-footed. While the much of the political world focused on Chris Christie, Rand Paul, and even Bush’s fellow Floridian Marco Rubio, Bush was quietly collecting political chits, developing a cohesive platform, and preparing for a fundraising blitz intended to grab the front-runner’s chair, scare potential competitors like Mitt Romney and Christie, and put Bush on such a firm financial footing that he could devote more time to retail politics when it really counted.”

“I recognize that as a result, my views will often be held up in comparison to theirs. But I am my own man – and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by the AP, in a speech referring to his father and brother.