What's With Jeb Bush's Nickname?

In a recent GOP debate Jeb Bush said that the people of Florida trusted him so much they called him "Jeb."

That was news to me. I'd never known "Jeb" meant trustworthy in any language on earth. Then I realized that in his stumbling way he was talking about his nickname, though it still didn't add up. Since when does using a nickname imply trust?

And what kind of nickname is Jeb anyway? What's it short for?

Well, it could be short for the Hebrew that translates into "Jebediah," which means "beloved of God." Now, that's a great name to appeal to a big part of the GOP base.

But if Floridians trust Jeb so much, why are they leaving out God? Are they Godless down there? They shouldn't be leaving out the part of his name referring to God.

A little more research dug up something really weird. Bush's nickname comes from the initials for his full name John Ellis Bush. So when you call him Jeb Bush, you're really calling him Bush twice: John Ellis Bush Bush.

That's as creepy as hearing Trump talk about himself in third person. Maybe creepier.

And now that we've had two Bush presidents already, wouldn't a Jeb Bush make four if he got elected?

Lev Raphael is the author of 25 books in genres from memoir to mystery which you can find on Amazon.