Jeb Bush in Speech at 2015 CPAC conference

On Education: Federal government should create choices, not standards

On Education: Common Core is not a federal takeover

On the political ticking bomb of Common Core, Bush answered that "Common is not a federal takeover." "What we should say in the reauthorization of the K-12 law is that the federal government has no role in the curriculum," Bush said. The political rift has grown so wide between the moderate Republican and the rest of the conservative base that some CPAC members planned a "walkout" of Bush. About a few dozen protesters, many of them wearing Rand Paul shirts, left at the beginning of Bush's segment, following a "Don't Tread on Me" flag.

In a closing "lightning"-style round of questions, Bush was asked what type of conservative he considered himself to be. His answer only proved the point: "A practicing reform-minded conservative," Bush said.

On Immigration: There is no plan to deport 11 million people

[When asked about] this policy fissure with the conservative base, Bush responded, "I know there's disagreement here," acknowledging boos that came from the right wing crowd. "I feel your pain. But there is no plan to deport 11 million people," Bush continued. "We should give them a path for legal status where they work, they don't get government benefits, where they learn English."

And though he prioritized security along the nation's border, he believed the GOP could also broker an agreement on other reform possibilities. "Let's do it. Let's control the border," Bush said. "There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing that holds back the Republicans from putting a comprehensive plan in place to do it."