A frustrated Jeb Bush unloads on Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a town hall event, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, in Exeter, N.H. (Photo: Mary Schwalm/AP)

NASHUA, N.H. — Jeb Bush doesn’t do sound bites. The former Florida governor speaks in paragraphs, delivering lengthy summaries of the policies he’d put in place if he makes it to the White House. And rather than throwing elbows or personally insulting his rivals, Bush focuses his criticisms on their positions.

So far, that approach, however dignified and statesmanlike it may be, isn’t working out.

When Bush joined the 2016 Republican presidential primary race, he was widely seen as the inevitable frontrunner. But with less than two months until voters begin casting their ballots, Bush is in fifth place in national GOP primary poll averages, trailing behind Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson. And the man leading the pack, Trump, is basically Bush’s polar opposite: Where Bush has a calm, dignified demeanor that reflects his roots as the heir to a blue-blooded political dynasty, Trump fueled his rise with brash headlines and relentless jabs at his opponents — especially Bush.

Bush is clearly frustrated with the tone of the Republican race. That’s part of the reason he’s focusing on New Hampshire, which is where Yahoo News had the chance to speak with him Monday about his strategy as the contest enters a crucial stretch.

“I’m committed to New Hampshire, and it’s the kind of place where a candidate who isn’t just bombastic that throws out stuff, you know, kind of like grenades into the room, and actually has views that are thought out can do well,” Bush said.

Bush has held at least 12 events in New Hampshire so far this month and, he told Yahoo News, he plans to return next week. Thoughtful voters probably aren’t the only reason Bush has set his sites on the Granite State. As a relative moderate with two ex-commanders in chief in his immediate family, Bush is basically the epitome of the Republican establishment. The other three early-voting states — Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada — are far more friendly territory for conservative firebrands.

Still, Bush’s strategy isn’t all about New Hampshire. His political pedigree may be somewhat of an impediment, but it also gave Bush a Rolodex that helped him rack up the largest war chest of any candidate in the running. His father, George Bush, was the 41st president and his brother, George W., was 43rd. Bush tapped into their donor networks to rake in a $133 million haul in Super PAC and direct campaign contributions. He’s hoping those donations can help him hold on past those first four primaries and into March of next year, when voters in a wide range of states will head to the polls.

“I’m going to stay in the race,” Bush said. “We have the resources, the best organization on the ground in — not just the February states, clearly we do there — but also the March states. So, my intention is to be in this for the long haul, and that’s part of the strategy … actually to stick with it.”

On his trips to the Granite State, Bush’s signature event has been town halls where he spends an hour or so fielding questions from voters on a wide variety of topics and responds with policy prescriptions. Bush talked to Yahoo News ahead of one of these forums at an American Legion Hall in the lakeside town of Alton.

His exasperation about the state of the race was clearly evident when Bush gave a sarcastic summary of what we might expect to hear from him at the event.

“A sentence in the English language, you know? With an adjective and adverbs, three syllable words occasionally,” Bush said, adding, “I’m not going to overdo it or anything.”

But Bush’s penchant for wonkery over flash might not be the only thing that’s left him out of step with the Republican electorate. His brother, George W. Bush, left the White House in early 2009 with a dismal 35 percent approval rating that was largely a result of his decision to invade Iraq. That’s baggage Bush has struggled to escape even as he has tried to brand himself as his “own man.” It’s a particularly difficult cross for Bush to bear in an election year where the top issue on many voters’ minds is the fight against the jihadist group ISIS in Syria and Iraq. And many progressives, including top Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, have attributed the rise of ISIS to the war that was started by former President George W. Bush.

Bush dismisses this critique of his brother.

“Yeah, that’s a pretty revisionist view, I think,” Bush said. “I’m not sure any policy people that I respect would believe that.”

Instead, Bush largely blames Democrats for the rise of ISIS. He said the surge of troops his brother sent into Iraq in 2007 was working against Al Qaeda in Iraq, which was the forerunner to ISIS. But then President Obama, who succeeded his brother, pulled troops out of the country.

“The simple fact is, the surge worked. Al Qaeda in Iraq was wiped out. There may have been remnants, obviously, there were. There were a few terrorists left, but they were disrupted and destroyed,” Bush said of the jihadist group. “It was recreated when United States left, did not continue with the authorization, you know, the long-term status agreement, which expired in 2012.”

Bush also pointed to Obama’s initial support for the regime of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has been widely criticized for fostering sectarian divisions in the country. Bush said ISIS stepped into a vacuum that was created in Iraq “because of Maliki effectively abandoning any efforts to create a united Iraq.”

“The net result was that this void was filled,” Bush said.

Bush also argued that Hillary Clinton, the current frontrunner in the Democratic primary, didn’t spend enough time on Iraq during her time as Obama’s secretary of state.

“This is the responsibility of Hillary Clinton, who visited Iraq once as secretary of state,” said Bush. “I mean, she had the greatest frequent flyer mile numbers of any four year time as secretary of state, only went there once, which is a pretty good indication of how little Iraq mattered to them.”

But Bush strenuously objects to the assumption his worldview is the same as his brother’s.

“Do you have a brother?” he replied when asked about how he’d answer people who link him to George W. “Are you exactly the same? … Well, I rest my case.”

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush reacts to a question during a town hall event, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, in Exeter, N.H. (Photo: Mary Schwalm/AP)

Bush is currently calling for the U.S. to send a limited number of ground troops to join the fight against ISIS but hasn’t specified a number. He acknowledged that “people are correctly wary” of a potential American occupation in those countries and stressed that he would listen to military leaders and fight the conflict with the “lesson learned of Iraq” in mind.

“The fact is that a serious commander in chief would seek options from his military advisers, would not put conditions on them, which is what this guy’s done. … Seek options and — and then go to Congress and seek the authorization to use military force with a clear strategy where it’s transparent, no secret plans,” Bush said. “A strategy to win and a strategy to get out, that’s the lesson learned of history. It’s the lesson learned of Iraq; it’s the lesson learned in Libya.”

Bush suggested World War II provides an example for how he’d handle the conflict in the Middle East.

“How did we handle World War II? Pretty damn good. In fact, you know, we had a — we had a force that brought stability, created opportunities for the rebuilding of both Japan and Germany in a way that benefitted us and created stability for two generations. It’s different than an occupying force, clearly there’s no interest to do that.”

Bush’s brother isn’t the only elephant in the room as he pursues the presidency. Though Bush didn’t name the Republican frontrunner when he referenced bomb-throwing candidates, it seemed abundantly clear Bush was largely referring to Trump when he aired his frustrations about the tone of the race.

Trump has aimed many of his barbs at Bush and, in recent days, Bush has fired back in his own relatively subdued style. At the first of his four New Hampshire town halls on Saturday, Bush unburdened himself.

“I got to get this off my chest — Donald Trump is a jerk,” Bush said.

When Yahoo News asked Bush about Trump, his answer was characteristically detailed and policy-focused. Bush cited a “long list of things that shows that the guy is not serious,” including Trump’s recent praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump’s past donations to Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, a comment Trump made in September suggesting the U.S. should let Russia lead the fight against the jihadist group ISIS, and a moment during the Dec. 15 Republican debate where Trump was apparently stumped when he was asked about America’s “nuclear triad.”

“Trump’s not a serious candidate. He’s one part unhinged and one part foolish. I mean, he’s not a serious candidate, and we’re living in serious times. Entertaining? Yeah, he’s definitely that. He’s a master at that. He fills the space, but as a president of the United States, given what he’s said, particularly on foreign policy, you know?” Bush said before rattling off his list of disagreements with Trump and adding, “This is not a serious conservative, and he’s certainly not someone who one should be comfortable with as commander in chief.”

Still, Bush is Bush, and he will only go so far in attacking Trump. Bush let out a sigh when asked if he agrees with the many critics who call Trump a racist.

“I don’t know. I think he’s playing people. I think he’s playing the press, and I think he’s preying on people’s angst and their fears. I can’t. I don’t know. I think it’s — the motive is political,” Bush said of Trump. “It doesn’t matter what the motives are, he’s just wrong. He’s not going to win. You can’t win by insulting your way and dividing the whole country up in all these disparate parts.”

Bush picks up a campaign sign that says “Jeb Can Fix It” after it slipped from the hands of a potential supporter during a campaign stop, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, in Exeter, N.H. (Photo: Mary Schwalm/AP)

Bush went on to note he specifically described his opponent as a “jerk” in response to comments Trump made where he seemed to be mocking a disabled reporter.

“He also insulted and disparaged people with disabilities,” Bush said. “I mean, look, that’s just — there’s something wrong with a guy that feels compelled to push people down like that. There’s something seriously wrong with him.”

Bush sidestepped describing Trump, the man, as a “racist.” But what about Trump’s policies and policy talk? Trump’s platform includes a ban on Muslim immigrants from entering the country. He has also called for a wall to keep out immigrants from Mexico, who he has described as rapists and murderers. Trump has even taken a very personal shot at Bush while touting his hard line on immigration. In a July interview, Trump noted Bush’s wife is Mexican and suggested this gave him “a soft spot for people from Mexico.”

Even when reminded about Trump’s remark about his wife, Bush declined to describe his opponent’s policies as “racist” and instead characterized them as “wrong.”

“They would be a danger for our country. To ban all Muslims coming into the country, it’s — it would make it harder to destroy ISIS, which has got to be the first priority,” Bush explained. “Insulting the third largest trading partner of the United States, Mexico, not going to work. It’s not serious. It’s not … It turns off a lot of people that are ultimately going to make the decision who the president’s going to be.”

Bush is particularly dismayed by Trump’s expressions of support for Putin. On this issue, Bush again attempted to contrast himself with his rival by thoroughly outlining his policy ideas.

“He’s not informed,” Bush said of Trump, adding, “We have to confront the ambitions of Putin. We have to earn his respect by being a strong presence in the world and that means, for example, that you forward lean with troops stationed today in Germany, into Poland, and the Baltics, that you have joint training exercises in a much more robust way to show that we’re serious, that you build … a counter cybersecurity effort and an offensive capability that is second to none.”

Trump’s kind words for Putin came after he received compliments from the Russian leader. Bush wondered aloud whether he could get Trump to stop mocking him with a similar approach.

“For Donald Trump to be praised and immediately turn to this Putin lover, I think maybe I should just say he’s the greatest man alive and see how he responds to that,” mused Bush. “It’s like this is — this is a man in need of just lots of praise, apparently.”

Still, Bush stopped short of saying he’d cross party lines to back Clinton if Trump wins the nomination.

“Oh, I can’t support Hillary,” Bush said. “Hillary is untrustworthy. We need to restore trust in the White House.”

Bush described Clinton’s handling of the 2012 Benghazi attacks as evidence she can’t be trusted.

So, does this mean Bush would back Trump? Bush won’t say. His eyes are still on the prize.

“I’m going to be the nominee,” Bush said, adding, “We don’t do hypotheticals. I’m not in a hypothetical world here. I’m in the real world, and I’m putting my heart and soul in this.”