Jeb joins the pack

NOTE: This is the first in a series where we'll be bringing you fact-checks on the 2016 presidential hopefuls.

Jeb Bush is expected today to join an already long list of Republicans and Democrats hoping to be their party’s 2016 presidential nominee. He has an announcement scheduled this afternoon at a suburban campus of Miami Dade College.

At least a dozen Republicans and a handful of Democrats have either formally announced their candidacy or expressed interest in running to succeed Barack Obama. The best known on the Democratic side, of course, being Hillary Clinton, former first lady and former secretary of state.

Today we begin an occasional series of articles that will look at fact-checks PolitiFact has published on the major candidates.

Next up: Hillary Clinton on June 22.

We have fact-checked 40 statement by Jeb Bush, including 10 that were rated True, 12 Mostly True, five Half True, two False, and one Pants on Fire.

See them all at http://www.politifact.com/personalities/jeb-bush/.

Here’s a sample.

Jeb Bush on Monday, Oct.. 27, 2014 in a fundraising letter

Among the developed nations, we are the least economically and socially mobile country in the world."

In a fundraising letter, Jeb Bush said "among the developed nations, we are the least economically and socially mobile country in the world."

His Foundation for Excellence in Education sent us a few stories backing up the claim on a broad level.

We found even more data suggesting that yes, America does lag behind most every developed country in terms of being able to move from the bottom rungs of the income ladder to the top.

Experts also told us it was a fair claim, although we must note there is some disagreement on how mobility is measured and minor differences among studies.

We rated the statement True.

Jeb Bush on Friday, June 14th, 2013 in a speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference "Immigrants are more fertile."

Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference in Washington, Jeb Bush made a pitch for immigration reform, saying America needs more new workers to help pay for retirees -- "to rebuild the demographic pyramid" as he put it.

"Immigrants are more fertile," Bush said. "And they love families and they have more intact families, and they bring a younger population. Immigrants create an engine of economic prosperity."

Fertility can mean the ability to have children. But it also can refer to the birth rate of a population, which is what Bush’s spokesperson said was the former governor’s intent.

On that front, there is no debate about the numbers. The Pew Research Center reported in 2012 that the birth rate among foreign-born women was nearly 50 percent higher than for U.S.-born women -- 87.8 births per 1,000 women compared with 58.9 births per 1,000 women of prime child bearing age (15-44).

However, the rates are converging, they vary widely among immigrant groups and over the years, the rates change.

Still, Bush’s words were on track.

We rated the statement Mostly True.

Jeb Bush on Wednesday, May 20th, 2015 in a roundtable in New Hampshire

"ISIS didn't exist when my brother was president. Al-Qaida in Iraq was wiped out when my brother was president."

Jeb Bush said that "ISIS didn't exist when my brother [George W. Bush] was President."

He also said: "Al-Qaida in Iraq was wiped out when my brother was president."

There are problems with both pieces of Bush’s claim. Yes, a group called ISIS didn’t exist while his brother was president, but the roots of the organization were indeed present and operating under a different banner.

As far as claiming al-Qaida was "wiped out," most experts consider that a stretch. The group’s power certainly diminished under President George W. Bush, but it wasn’t wiped out.

Jeb Bush’s statement contains an element of truth, but it ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.

We rated this claim Mostly False.

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Jeb Bush on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 in a tweet

"Why would our president close the embassy to the Vatican? Hopefully, it is not retribution for Catholic organizations opposing Obamacare."

PolitiFact gave Jeb Bush, who is a Catholic,a Pants on Fire for his tweet "Why would our president close the embassy to the Vatican? Hopefully, it is not retribution for Catholic organizations opposing Obamacare."

The embassy wasn’t closing. It was moving, and there were several reasons for it that had nothing to do with the federal health care law. Consolidating operations at one compound would improve security and save about $1.4 million a year, a State Department official told reporters.

The move had been in the works since George W. Bush -- Jeb Bush’s brother -- was president. Finally, we found no evidence to support the idea that the relocation was related to battles over Obamacare.

We rated the claim Pants on Fire!