A tourists take souvenir snaps nearby as a hooded protester dressed to represent a detainee of the U.S. government demonstrates against torture outside the White House in Washington
A tourists take souvenir snaps nearby as a hooded protester dressed to represent a detainee of the U.S. government demonstrates against torture outside the White House in Washington November 22, 2005. CIA interrogators use "unique" methods to obtain "vital" information from prisoners, but strictly obey laws against torture, CIA Director Porter Goss said in an interview published on Monday. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, has proposed legislation outlawing torture or cruel and inhumane treatment of U.S. prisoners and Vice President Dick Cheney has been working in Congress to exempt the CIA from such a formal ban. REUTERS/Jason Reed

Jeb Bush, son and brother of two former U.S. presidents, has announced his intent to join the 2016 U.S presidency race. On Tuesday, Jeb Bush announced that he is all set to take the plunge and has consulted his family and decided to go ahead. The 61-year-old is a former Florida governor and is the first Republican contender to announce a possible run in the party's primaries.

Less Dogmatic

Even though Bush is considered a mainstream Republican, he is deemed as less dogmatic compared to other probables like Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. "I have no clue if I'd be a good candidate. I hope I would be," Bush had told WPLG-TV on Sunday. Elder brother George W. Bush also said his younger brother wants to be president and he was "pushing for him to run." His Democratic rival is likely to be Hillary Clinton, who may replace President Barack Obama as the Democrat candidate, reported Global Post.

Bush announced his candidature via Facebook. In his message, Bush stated that he will "actively explore" the possibility of running for presidency in 2016. Though he is yet to establish an official presidential exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission, Bush may set up a Political Action Committee to raise funds for his political travel and expenses.

It appears that Jeb Bush will face some handicaps when it comes to wooing the conservative Republican base in his party's primaries. The major problem will be his seven-year absence from the political scene and the centrist positions he had been taking on many issues, which were at variance with the Party's official stand. The most recent one was his moderate stand on the U.S. immigration debate, which was against the stated position of the Republicans.

Stiff Resistance

Meanwhile, many organisations belonging to the left and right of the political spectrum announced their intent to raise funds to counter Jeb Bush's preparations for a campaign. "Jeb Bush is starting to run for president... Think about how President Bush worked out last time," the Democratic National Committee said in an email to the cadres. The e-mail called on people to "Chip in $10 or more and help Democrats beat him." Meanwhile, the Conservative Action Fund asked its supporters to sign a petition against Bush's potential candidacy and make a donation to keep up the opposition, reported CBS News.

The announcement of Jeb Bush was met with a muted response from his own GOP rivals. Senator Marco Rubio said he has a "lot of respect for Governor Bush, and believes he would be a formidable candidate," When asked about Bush's potential candidacy, Senator Rand Paul told a reporter, "More the merrier." Significantly, a source close to former Governor Mitt Romney, considered as the most probable Republican candidate, told CBS News that Jeb Bush's announcement will not affect Romney's thinking. Some time ago, there were unsubstantiated reports that Romney was reluctant to run for presidency if Bush won't be in the fray.