( CNN ) When Jeb Bush spoke last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor , Maryland , the likely GOP presidential hopeful did better than expected . Of course , that could have been because expectations were so low . You remember `` Bush Derangement Syndrome . '' When George W. Bush was president , it afflicted liberals who thought the chief executive could n't do anything right . Now that Jeb might run for president in 2016 , the condition vexes conservatives who believe that when it comes to choosing the GOP nominee , the former Florida governor is all wrong . During Bush 's speech , a few dozen supporters of Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky -- wearing red T-shirts with the words `` Stand With Rand '' -- walked out and later blasted Bush as insufficiently conservative . But what should really count for a lot is that Bush is sufficiently competent . He 's the grownup in a roomful of extremists who -- as they compare union members to ISIS ( Scott Walker ) or vow to abolish the IRS ( Ted Cruz ) or bash the media ( Chris Christie ) -- seem most interested in applause lines . Bush is a serious person with a serious shot at the presidency , something that you just ca n't say about all Republicans who appear to be running . As someone who is bilingual and whose wife hails from Mexico , Bush can hit Hillary Clinton , the likely Democratic nominee , where it hurts by carving into her Latino support . In his 1998 gubernatorial election , and 2002 re-election , Bush received over 60 percent of the Latino vote . And it 's no secret that , for many Latinos who might vote for Bush , the make-or-break issue is immigration . That 's because many Latinos see immigration as a way of determining a candidate 's character . Latinos will be watching to see if Bush stands up to the pressure from extremists to join the GOP 's closed border chorus . They 're used to being thrown under the bus by politicians who sacrifice Latinos to gin up support from non-Latinos . And they wo n't put up with it . So which way is Bush going to go on immigration ? For many years , he extolled the contributions of immigrants and expressed dismay that elements of his party are closed-minded and mean-spirited on the issue . He even acknowledged that , to many , the party is seen as `` anti-immigrant . '' Lately , though , Bush has injected more nuance into his views -- and turned them mushy in the process . On the question of whether undocumented youth should have a path to citizenship , for example , Bush at first supported the idea , then he opposed it . And most recently , he has said that he could support such a path if Congress mandates it . On the Arizona immigration law , Bush apparently likes the concept of enlisting local police to be `` the eyes and ears '' of the border patrol . But he has also been sympathetic to critics who worry that this will lead to ethnic profiling of Latinos . Too often , Bush leaves the impression that he 'll say whatever he needs to say to avoid conflict . So it was actually refreshing to see Bush use his appearance at CPAC -- which took the form of an onstage interview by conservative talk show host Sean Hannity -- to once again speak plainly . In response to questions , Bush emphasized the need to secure the U.S. border , insisted that immigration policy should be driven by economic concerns and the need for high-skilled immigrants , and reaffirmed support for giving undocumented immigrants driver 's licenses and in-state tuition at public colleges and universities . The crowd booed that last one . Bush criticized President Obama 's executive actions to prioritize deportations , but also bashed Republicans in Congress for protesting that policy by holding up funds for the Department of Homeland Security . Finally , in response to what is often the most contentious aspect of this debate , Bush also stressed the need to create a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants who are currently in the United States . `` I know there 's disagreement here , '' he said . `` The simple fact is that there is no plan to deport 11 million people . We should give them a path to legal status where they work ... and contribute to our society . '' More boos . The way Bush sees it , the GOP is good at being against things but `` we have to start being for things again . '' In response to a heckler , Bush stared out into the crowd to address his critic . `` I 'm marking you down as neutral , '' he told the heckler . `` I 'll look forward to being your second choice . '' Not even close . In the Washington Times/CPAC presidential preference straw poll of 3,007 participants , Bush came in fifth out of 17 candidates with just 8 percent of the vote . First place went to Rand Paul , who earned 25.7 percent . Clearly , Bush has a long way to go in convincing conservatives that he 's their best choice . But his appearance at CPAC set exactly the right tone . Voters in both parties have plenty of candidates telling them what they want to hear just to get their support . What they need are more candidates who tell them what they need to hear : the truth . That wo n't make the candidates popular . But it does make them credible . Score 1 for Bush .
Jeb Bush attended this last week 's Conservative Political Action Conference . Ruben Navarrette : Latinos want to see if Bush stands up to pressure from extremists .