Jeb Bush campaign site hides Die Hard plot synopsis in the source code

As Jeb becomes latest Bush to launch a presidential campaign, an unexplained summary of the movie franchise was unearthed on his campaign website

Tom Brooks-Pollock

Tuesday 16 June 2015 12:43 BST

While Jeb Bush has been busy launching his bid to be President of the United States, it appears that some members of his staff have a fair amount of time on their hands.

A summary of the plot of the Die Hard movie franchise has been discovered buried on the Jeb 2016 campaign website.

The synopsis, said to contain spoilers, was unearthed by the New York Times, on the page announcing the launch of Bush's formal campaign to follow in the footsteps of his father and brother, by entering the race for the Republican nomination.

It was found among the JavaScript source-code of the site by developer Jeremy Bowers, who tweeted: "Seems like an odd thing to include in the JS of your presidential announcement page".

It appears to have been an in-joke among developers of the site. As the NYT points out, such japes are not confined to the Bush campaign: the code Hillary Clinton's site features an ASCII-art version of her campaign logo, while Rand Paul's contains a pitch to join his tech team.

Republican presidential nominations

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Republican presidential nominations

Jeb Bush

Who he is: Brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H. W. Bush, Mr Bush has formed a Political Action Committee and is exploring a presidential bid. He was the governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. The issues: Mr Bush has indicated that his campaign would focus on the economy, foreign policy and energy. He is also known as a proponent of education reform.

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Republican presidential nominations

Marco Rubio

Who he is: Mr Rubio is a US senator from Florida who has served since 2011. He is an early favourite to receive heavy donations from ultra-rich donors the Koch brothers. The issues: Mr Rubio has said the biggest issue facing the US in the near future is foreign policy and dealing with threats from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

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Republican presidential nominations

Ben Carson

Who he is: Dr Carson is a retired neurosurgeon, who became one of the most prominent physicians in the US. He has no political experience, but has formed a PAC to consider a run for president. The issues: A big proponent of smaller government, Dr Carson holds a tough stance on illegal immigration and is staunchly opposed to government involvement in health care.

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Republican presidential nominations

Ted Cruz

Who he is: Mr Cruz has served as a US senator from Texas since 2013 and previously was the solicitor general of the state from 2003 to 2008. The issues: Mr Cruz is strongly against illegal immigration and figures to offer a presidential campaign heavy on foreign policy. He supports tough sanctions on both Russia and Iran.

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Republican presidential nominations

Carly Fiorina

Who she is: Ms Fiorina is the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and a former executive at AT&T. She also was a 2010 nominee from California for the US Senate. The issues: Ms Fiorina, should she run, will campaign as a pro-business candidate whose background as chief executive of a major company proves she can handle the US economy.

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Republican presidential nominations

Mike Huckabee

Who he is: Mr Huckabee was the governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and ran for president in 2008. An ordained Baptist minister, he also hosted a talk show on Fox News until early this month. The issues: Mr Huckabee supports tax reform and often touts the FairTax, which would eliminate income and payroll taxes in favour of a uniform sales tax.

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Republican presidential nominations

Rand Paul

Who he is: Mr Paul has served as a US senator from Kentucky since 2011. He is a libertarian and son of former US Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. The issues: Mr Paul supports balanced spending by the government, unlike some of his peers in the Republican Party who oppose most government spending. He has been called an isolationist by some political pundits.

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Republican presidential nominations

Scott Walker - OUT

Who he is: Mr Walker has served as the governor of Wisconsin since 2011 and has long been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate. Mr Walker this week launched a PAC to prepare for a presidential run. The issues: Mr Walker opposes compromise with Democrats on key issues and would encourage increasing the fight against Isis.

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Republican presidential nominations

Rick Perry - OUT

Who he is: Mr Paul has served as a US senator from Kentucky since 2011. He is a libertarian and son of former US Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. The issues: Mr Paul supports balanced spending by the government, unlike some of his peers in the Republican Party who oppose most government spending. He has been called an isolationist by some political pundits.

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How long before British politicians follow suit, if they haven't done so already? A quick check of the Labour leadership contenders' sites suggests they haven't joined the party quite yet.

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