Posted on 03/30/2005 4:07:26 PM PST by churchillbuff
I never had any desire to run for political office, but, if I did, it would be to make a difference.
If I didn't think I could make a difference, what would be the point?
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told us last week he just didn't have the power and authority to save one innocent woman forced by court order and armed guard to starve to death in his state.
I don't believe that's true. Not for a minute do I believe it. Jeb Bush blinked. And that weakness that he showed for the whole world should represent the end of his political career.
It's unfortunate, because I believe Jeb Bush knew, deep in his convictions, it was wrong to let Terri Schiavo be murdered by a judge's order.
He even dispatched a team of state law enforcement officers to seize her hours after Judge George Greer refused to listen to his pleadings in the courtroom.
But he backed down. When local cops informed the state officers that they would enforce the judge's order, the agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement stopped.
That's not leadership. That's capitulation.
Gov. Jeb Bush shouldn't have merely dispatched officers to the scene to negotiate with the local cops, he should have led them. He should have personally persuaded those local officers that he was the highest law enforcement official in the state and he was ordering them to stand down.
He should have been a field general, not an armchair general.
He should have walked up to that hospice with overwhelming force behind him.
He should have done so with the whole world watching.
Jeb Bush has been talked about as a potential presidential candidate. But who is going to seriously consider a commander in chief who backs down at the first sign of resistance?
Bush may have been trying to take the safe route in this crisis, but it represents, in my estimation, the end of his political ambitions.
Jeb Bush was tested, and he was found lacking.
He allowed a terribly immoral action to take place in his state and did nothing but huff and puff about it.
And it wasn't the first time.
Say what you will about former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. I think she was a fascist. I think she was a criminal. I think she was possibly stark, raving mad. But she backed up her misguided convictions by sending armed federal agents swooping in to pick up little Elian Gonzalez and take him back to Cuba. It was wrong, but she wasn't afraid.
Back then, Gov. Jeb Bush sat by and watched his authority breached by Washington.
This time, he sat by and watched his authority breached by a puny, little county bureaucrat, a local politician, Judge George Greer.
Does the Florida governor have any authority?
If not, we shouldn't take the position seriously as a stepping stone to higher office. If it does, why didn't he use it when it counted?
I feel sorry for Jeb Bush today.
I think he knew right from wrong in this case but didn't have the courage of his convictions. I think he listened to all the wrong advisers. I think he will carry regrets about Terri Schiavo to his grave.
He could have been a hero. He could have been a leader.
Instead, he appears weak. Instead, he appears to vacillate.
My wife told me: "If Jeb Bush had done the right thing for Terri, I would have given up six months of my life to campaign for him. I would have done anything to help him."
I'm sure many people feel like that. Let me ask you today: Is anyone excited about the possibility of a third Bush administration?
What an idiot.
But I already knew that. :)
That is just what I wrote. See, and then you will note that I was a loud supporter of his ever since. I even got some people to vote for him in FLA.
I you did a search of my posts, you'd find I'd been touting Jeb for President for some time -- in large part because he was helping Terri. I started touting him for president in 2003, when he signed Terri's law.
But now that he's wimped out, and is allowing Greer not just to kill Terri but to usurp the governor's own executive authority (by ordering local cops to repel the governor's own agency), I can't go with Jeb. If he can't stand up to a pipsqueak county judge, North Korea would make mincemeat of him.
How did that go for you, BTW?
the bushies only gave lip-service to pro-life issues
PBA: GWB had more concrete results for pro-life than Reagan ever did.
No,not all and I never said that. Some are just easily swayed by the madness of mobs; others are just emotional and aren't thinking.
Unfortunately, sending messages to "All" doesn't work.
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What crack has FR been smoking lately? Jeb and George have done what they could within the law. If we want Il Duce, we're in the wrong place. It's time to respect the legitimate decisions of our party leaders.
will not get the Conservative vote. Hilary will pull out all stops to win Florida.
And you're indicating that conservatives will help her.
Won't vote, volunteer. What's the point if the Republicans wont stand up for life.
OK- well see.
You are the proverbial unmentionable in the punch bowl.
Exactly right, Jorge. The voice of reason.
What if this judge ruled that all babies under the age of 1 should become wards of the state because the couldn't feed themselves? Would the Governor still be correct in doing nothing? No! The Governor must have courage. A leader must have courage. He must be ready to risk himself for the greater good.
Someone said that giving ones life for another is one of the greatest thing.
But then you have to have courage to do that.
jeb don't.
Huh? what exactly did those two do for Terri? Did either one of them even mention her name except to maybe say that it was a "private family matter"?
Oh please! - Jeb and GWB have done all they can for Terri (under the law and constitution!) - They have handled this situation with leadership, compassion and class! - They have in fact done more for Terri than her OWN family has (considering the despicable case they put forward early on within this whole mess).
Jeb Bush will continue to win elections in FL long after this terrible situation has ended - So please stop with your smoke blowing -
Thankfully she lives in a brick house, that Hurricanes took its toll on that town. Every Palm tree in her yard got ripped out of the ground by the roots, it looked like a war zone.
I guess you're trying to get me banned because I'm sticking up for Terri, and pointing out that the Bush bros. have let her down. Well, hope you're not successful in your censorship crusade.
You could come back to the light, Howlin -- for troll though CB might be and set to inflame a division -- that division itself is true and strong. And it has a right side and a wrong side. CB has placed himself on the right side of it -- by you rejoining to the right, and the others (WPPs) too that division would be mooted.
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