Heck, this whole thing will be forgotten as a political issue by November 2006, much less 20 years from now, and won't have the slightest political impact on any campaign anywhere.
My post only referred to Jeb Bush's political career. Since he may well leave politics, we may never know which of us is right. I think that this case has touched many people so deeply that they will never forget it.
Your response opens this up to include affecting "any campaign anywhere," and I think you are probably wrong about that, too. Why wouldn't the left use Terri's case against the right in '06? It is a fine wedge issue. Just read the FR forums.
Democrats can claim that Terri’s case “proves” that Republicans are led by religious zealots who won’t even let people die in peace. They can claim that her case demonstrates the hypocrisy of Republicans, who will bleat endlessly about the sanctity of marriage while they vote to overrule a husband’s attempts to follow his dying wife’s requests. The polls are on their side, everyone knows at least something about the case -- it is tailor-made to become a political issue. A string of made-for-TV movies about Terri made by the Hollywood left should come out within the next couple of years, and who do you think will be the bad guys in those movies? The spin has barely begun. We will soon hear, “Next, those rabid right-wing religious nuts won’t let anyone pull the plug on someone dying of terminal cancer. They just want to prolong suffering.” The basic truth of the matter, that for many on the right this was about preserving a valuable life, will be drowned out. Since we failed, it will eventually look as though we never really tried or cared. Unless the polls turn around, whenever the subject of Terri is raised, Republicans will tend to be defensive. Of course the Democrats will use it.
I hope I am wrong about this. We’ll see.