Jeb Bush announced on Facebook that he has “decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]This announcement puts enormous pressure on Chris Christie to make his decision while essentially freezing those Republicans who have urged Mitt Romney to run again. [/speech_bubble]

Jeb Bush’s decision “to release a policy-laden e-book and all his e-mails from his time as governor of Florida has further stoked expectations among his allies that he will launch a presidential bid,” the Washington Post reports.

“Bush announced the moves in an expansive interview that aired Sunday on a Miami television station. He mused about the kind of campaign he would run and addressed his views on immigration and education reform that rile parts of the GOP base. At several points in the ­interview, Bush sounded like a candidate-in-waiting.”

Jeb Bush said he’s going to release about 250,000 emails from his time in office, Politico reports.

“The move seems designed to get ahead of opposition researchers poring through his time in office — the Democratic research super PAC American Bridge already has started digging in on the candidates — but also to contrast with people like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both of whom have been accused of creating a fog of secrecy in their government offices.”

“Unlike Christie and Clinton, Bush’s document trove is fairly dated — he was in office from 1999 to 2007. But the idea…is to create ‘transparency.’ Bush was known as an active emailer while in office, often responding to queries himself.”

“Jeb Bush and his emissaries are sending increasingly strong signals that the former Florida governor is gearing up for a 2016 presidential campaign, with associates saying he could announce his intentions within a month,” the Washington Post reports.

“Bush recently e-mailed major Republican donors asking them to, as several of them put it, ‘keep your powder dry.’ His allies are urging would-be bundlers not to commit to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or other potential rivals. Bush’s top strategist, Mike Murphy, has also been telling potential campaign staffers not to sign up to work for another candidate and to expect Bush’s announcement soon.”

“Out of public office for eight years, Bush has a thicket of business interests — including massive overseas investment funds — that he is working to untangle himself from before a campaign begins.”

New York Times: “In the past few weeks, Mr. Bush has moved toward a run for the White House. His family’s resistance has receded. His advisers are seeking staff. And the former governor is even slimming down, shedding about 15 pounds thanks to frequent swimming and personal training sessions after a knee operation last year.”

“But before pursuing the presidency, Mr. Bush is grappling with the central question of whether he can prevail in a grueling primary battle without shifting his positions or altering his persona to satisfy his party’s hard-liners. In conversations with donors, friends and advisers, he is discussing whether he can navigate, and avoid being tripped up by, the conservative Republican base.”

“Two top New Hampshire Republican strategists have been contacted this week by a Jeb Bush confidant to discuss their interest in leading the former Florida governor’s prospective presidential campaign there,” according to RealClearPolitics.

“The new outreach from Bush’s camp was directed at a pair of experienced and well-respected New Hampshire GOP operatives, each of whom has previously helmed presidential campaigns in the state. Both were given the proverbial instruction to ‘keep your powder dry,’ suggesting that Bush is leaning toward entering the race early next year.”

“And perhaps more important, can I do it where the sacrifice for my family is tolerable? Every person that runs for office at any level — it’s a big sacrifice because it’s a pretty ugly business right now.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by Bloomberg, on running for president.

Jeb Bush said that if he runs for president in 2016, he will not pander to his party’s conservative base in the primaries, the New York Times reports.

Said Bush: “Lose the primary to win the general without violating your principles. It’s not an easy task to be honest with you.”

He added that he would make a decision about the 2016 race “in short order.”

[speech_bubble type=”std” subtype=”a” icon=”pwdome.jpg” name=””]Bush wants to run on his own terms but the reality of GOP primaries may not let him. [/speech_bubble]

Wall Street Journal: “The suspense will continue to build as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush arrives in Washington for his education think tank’s annual conference, his first major public appearance since the midterm elections marked the unofficial beginning of the 2016 election cycle. His keynote speech Thursday is expected to steer clear of presidential politics, though it will reinforce one of the trickiest challenges he would face as a candidate—his support for national academic standards known as Common Core.”

“Meantime, Republican donors are watching and waiting for a verdict that will shape the wide-open race like few other early developments.”

“Mr. Bush has said he would make up his mind by the end of the year. If he runs, he is poised to sweep significant money off the playing field from big GOP donors whose loyalty to the Bush family dates back decades.”