Capitol Chatter: June 8

Jeb Bush testifies, becomes lightning rod
The “news” that came out of former Gov. Jeb Bush's testimony before the Congressional Budget Committee was that he would be in favor of a plan that included $1 of tax increases for every $10 in tax cuts.

“If you could bring to me a majority of people to say that we're going to have $10 in spending cuts for $1 of revenue enhancement — put me in, coach,” Bush said Friday. “This will prove I'm not running for anything,” he added, which got a round of laughter in the chambers. All of the Republican presidential candidates, including Gov. Mitt Romney, have rejected such a plan on the grounds that the problem is on the spending side.

Bush is considered on the short list of vice presidential candidates for Romney, along with Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the chairman of the committee who invited Bush to speak. But the testimony was perhaps most revealing of the hyper-partisan atmosphere in Washington.