Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush rules out VP bid

MIAMI (Reuters) - Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on Thursday ruled out any chance he will be the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee this year and suggested he might have missed his best chance to run for president.

In an interview with CBS's "This Morning" program, Bush said he intends to support Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, and dismissed any possibility he will be his running mate.

"I'm not gonna do it and I'm not going to be asked and it's not going to happen," Bush said.

An influential figure in the Republican Party, Bush rejected calls from some party leaders during the campaign for him to seek the Republican presidential nomination.

When asked about his presidential aspirations, Bush said, "this was probably my time."

"I think there is a window of opportunity in life for all sorts of reasons," he added. "Although I don't know given what I believe and how I believe it, I'm not sure I would have been successful as a candidate either."

Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush and the son of former President George H.W. Bush, has publicly praised Florida Senator Marco Rubio as a potential vice presidential candidate.

Romney, according to people advising his campaign, is assembling a list of Republicans he is considering as potential running mates.

The possible candidates have not been confirmed but speculation has centered on a host of Republicans, including Rubio, Ohio Senator Rob Portman and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

(Reporting by Kevin Gray; Editing by Eric Beech)