On Fox News, the former President George H.W. Bush seemed to catch an interviewer, Chris Wallace, by surprise when he said that he would like to see another Bush occupy the Oval Office.

He said that he thought that his son Jeb, the former governor of Florida, should consider seeking the seat that Senator Mel Martinez of that state will vacate in 2010.

He then added,"I'd like to see him run for president some day."

The former president, who is 84, had just been talking about what he considered the many unfair attacks on his son George. Indeed, on NBC, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, refused Sunday to retract his assessment that the younger Bush was"the worst president we've ever had."