Inaugural present

Jeb Bush did not run for re-election as governor of Florida this year. His successor, Charlie Crist, revealed his survival instincts by not showing up for a scheduled election rally with George Bush on the 6th November -- recognizing that the latter Bush had become a liability on the campaign trail even in Republican states. [Of the candidates that Bush did campaign appearances for who were not already certain of election, they nearly all lost]. While lesser spinners tried to portray the incident as minor, someone important was not letting it go -

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove expressed frustration Monday over Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist's decision not to appear with President Bush at a rally in Pensacola."Let's see how many people show up in Palm Beach on 24 hrs notice versus 8 or 9,000 people in Pensacola," Rove told CNN referring to a Crist rally quickly organized by the campaign after the GOP gubernatorial candidate canceled his appearance with the President.

Well, the chance for revenge came soon enough (WSJ) --

Army leaders privately tell White House they could back more soldiers if Bush provides latitude to sustain the effort through reserve call-ups. One of the first units called back to Iraq could be the Florida National Guard brigade that served in restive Ramadi in 2003.

That would be the Florida National Guard whose use would normally be determined by the state's incoming governor, Charlie Crist.