The Washington Post has laid on the table a story sure to rile conservatives: Influential Republicans working to draft Jeb Bush into 2016 presidential race.

LAS VEGAS — Many of the Republican Party’s most powerful insiders and financiers have begun a behind-the-scenes campaign to draft former Florida governor Jeb Bush into the 2016 presidential race, courting him and his intimates and starting talks on fundraising strategy.

Concerned that the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal has damaged New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s political standing and alarmed by the steady rise of Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), prominent donors, conservative leaders and longtime operatives say they consider Bush the GOP’s brightest hope to win back the White House.

Bush’s advisers insist that he is not actively exploring a candidacy and will not make a decision until at least the end of this year.

Ron Radosh of PJM sums it up: “The folks who gave us McCain and Romney have already made up their minds.”

Now I am sure Jebbie, as the 43^rd president reportedly called his brother, is a fine man. And he has a Latina wife, speaks Spanish fluently, and has children that his father, G.H.W. Bush once called “the little brown ones.”  Multi-racial children appear to have helped Bill deBlasio win the mayor’s office in New York City.

But as Paul Mirengoff of Powerline wrote, “In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, almost half of the respondents said they definitely would not vote for Jeb Bush.”  Face it, the Bush brand is damaged goods. And Americans have a justifiable suspicion of family dynasties. In fact, should Hillary Clinton be the nominee, a Bush at the top of the GOP ticket does not just neutralize that argument, it hands an advantage to Clinton. After all, when the country had a chance to vote on Bush v. Clinton the first time, it went for Clinton.

Then there is the small problem of Jeb’s position on “immigration reform,” a policy that is anathema to the GOP base. A Bush candidacy, if foisted on the party by the money men, could very well lead to a third party run, thereby handing to presidency to the Democrats.

Stay tuned, this could get ugly.