Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush may share a presidential debate stage in 2016. But White House talk can wait in the name of civics.
Bush, the former Florida governor who chairs the National Constitution Center, honored the former secretary of state on Tuesday with the organization’s Liberty Medal, marking Clinton’s “lifelong career in public service.”
“Hillary and I come from different political parties and we disagree about lots of things. But we do agree on the wisdom of the American people — especially those in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina,” Bush joked, referring to the three states that have traditionally played pivotal roles in presidential campaigns. Bush mused that Clinton was visiting Des Moines, Iowa, next week. “Now, don’t actually wear the medal there, Madam Secretary.”
Clinton and Bush are potential presidential candidates in their respective parties and part of two political dynasties that have produced three presidents since the 1988 election. Both families have deep ties to the center, which serves as a national headquarters for civic education and is situated near Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the U.S. Constitution was signed. Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush received the Liberty Medal in 2006.
