Posted on 03/24/2005 6:51:21 PM PST by FairOpinion
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It's not often Gov. Jeb Bush is frustrated pursuing his goals. He was the first governor to start a statewide school voucher program. He got rid of civil service protections for tens of thousands of state workers. He pushed through billions of dollars in tax cuts. His goal of prolonging the life of Terri Schiavo is proving much harder.
"It is frustrating for people to think that I have power that I don't, and not be able to act," Bush told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I don't have embedded special powers. I wish I did in this particular case."
Bush canceled travel plans Thursday to monitor the case of Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman who has gone without food and water since a judge ordered her feeding tube removed March 18.
He was in constant contact with his legal office, ordered staffers to e-mail and call him with developments and demanded state laws be scoured for a way to reconnect Schiavo's feeding tube.
At his office, Bush waved an affidavit from neurologist William Cheshire that questions whether Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state. The emotion in his voice rose as he detailed how the affidavit stated Schiavo made a crying sound, grimaced and pressed her eyebrows together when a doctor said he was going to turn her over.
She "signals her anticipation of pain. Just like you would, or just like I would. Now is it perfect? Is she responding with the same eloquence that you would respond to? ... No. She's severely, profoundly disabled," Bush said.
The governor's court record is mixed. He succeeded in removing affirmative action guarantees from state hiring and university admission practices, but a law requiring doctors to notify parents if they perform an abortion on minor girls was thrown out.
Still, he's been persistent. After a court threw out a law requiring tougher sentences for three-time felons, the governor went back to the Legislature and fixed the problem. Currently, he and lawmakers are working on a plan to require parents be notified before their minor daughters get abortions.
In the Schiavo case, he's running out of legal avenues — but not hope.
"You know what I hope for first and foremost? That Mr. Schiavo would say, 'I'm going to let Terri be with her parents. I'm going to move on with my life. I've made my point,'" Bush said, referring to Schiavo's husband, Michael, who insists she would not want to be kept alive artificially. "That obviously doesn't appear to be happening."
"So secondly I pray for an openness by the people who are responsible for making these decisions so we can act and allow for her to stabilize."
He says the courts appear to have turned a deaf ear to his arguments.
"For this lockdown to occur without having the ability to have an open mind, and say, 'Well, maybe there are new facts on the table, maybe there are new technologies, maybe, just maybe, we should be cautious about this' ... is very troubling," Bush said.
In 2003, when the Legislature passed a law allowing Bush to order the feeding tube reinserted after it had been removed, critics accused him of political grandstanding as his brother, President Bush (news - web sites), sought re-election.
Justin Sayfie, Bush's former communications director, said they were wrong: "He's term-limited out. His brother is term-limited out."
"Most strategists or political operatives would say 'Don't touch this,'" said GOP political strategist Geoffrey Becker, noting polls show most people don't believe government should be involved in the case. "I firmly believe that this is his personal conviction, that he believes this is the right thing to do."
>> To any number of other brave men in this country in addition to the Bush brothers.
If the actions of the Bush brothers, of late, comprise your definition of 'brave', then what could they possibly do for you to consider them 'wimpy'? I cannot think of anything.
Hey, I don't know if you know Logic (I doubt), but my doing something doesn't make my statement that "J. Bush is acting wrong and cowardly." wrong or illogical.
Your presenting a red herring, by putting me in the place of someone who is relevent to the situation. I unfortunately am not in a relevent place (one in which I am able to act in a way that will affect the situation), and the respect of your logical argument is the fallacy. Because your positioning of me in the same respect as J. Bush, you have presented a irrational fallacy.
I think you need to shut up, and learn how to think and use logic.
First Lesson: Logical Fallacies
http://www.locksley.com/6696/logic.htm
For the 4th time, I am not a Bush basher. I am conservative republican. And I have a right to my opinion. Just because I do not agree on a particular issue regarding the Bushes does not make me a Bush basher. And I don't appreciate your bad attitude. I am just as much as a freedom loving American, if not more than you are and I do not intimidate people because they do not have the same opinion as me on a subject. I cannot with a clear conscience before God say the Bushes did everything they possibly could do unless their power has been completely stripped from them. And from what I have read, and see, it is not.
Some courage....yes. FULL OF COURAGE.....no. Or Terri would be getting fed by now!
More fun alone. Sorry.
I cannot with a clear conscience before God say the Bushes did everything they possibly could do unless their power has been completely stripped from them. And from what I have read, and see, it is not.
If the Bushes defy court orders, they could be impeached and have their powers stripped from them!
I cannot with a clear conscience before God say the Bushes did everything they possibly could do unless their power has been completely stripped from them. And from what I have read, and see, it is not.
If the Bushes defy court orders, they could be impeached and have their powers stripped from them!
You think George W. Bush is a wimp? There are a number of dictators and terrorists in the world that would disagree. I wish he'd send in the marshalls, but I don't pretend to entirely know the restrictions he's operating under.
I've called him the judges bitch too... but there's going to be a battle royale coming up in about a month over judges. I wouldn't be surprised if he lays down a royal flush and red dogs the table again. He's had the democrats crawfishin' so many times it' silly. Have a little faith. Nothing happens fast enough, and unfortunately nothing seems to be going to happen fast enough to save Terri.
But death has no dominion over us. Dead or alive the spotlight is on these cock-a-roaches, and we are going to win.
You think George W. Bush is a wimp? There are a number of dictators and terrorists in the world that would disagree. I wish he'd send in the marshalls, but I don't pretend to entirely know the restrictions he's operating under.
I've called him the judges bitch too... but there's going to be a battle royale coming up in about a month over judges. I wouldn't be surprised if he lays down a royal flush and red dogs the table again. He's had the democrats crawfishin' so many times it' silly. Have a little faith. Nothing happens fast enough, and unfortunately nothing seems to be going to happen fast enough to save Terri.
But death has no dominion over us. Dead or alive the spotlight is on these cock-a-roaches, and we are going to win.
Well said!!
>> Yeah, the President showed no courage when he invaded Iraq right? He didn't have to do it you know. He could have cruised to reelection. But no, he risked his entire president and reelection and did it anyway.
God blessed his actions in Iraq because they were just. But now he will not 'risk' his presidency to defy an extemist, unelected, state judge? And what is there to risk? Does he fear he will not be elected for another term? Does he fear the Democrats will not let his judicial appointments go through? What exactly does he fear? He fears the U.S States Judiciary! God help the United States.
>> And when did he fail to do that, genius?
Uh, from day-one until today, genius.
Are you a troll or something?
What do you think would happen to the country, if Bush did anything that would give the slightest reason to the left to attack him. What you saw with Nixon was nothing, in comparison, to what you would see here -- in the meantime N. Korea, Iran and the terrorists would be celebrating,and probably obliterating us, taking advantage of our chaos.
I'll join that prayer. And no, Daisy, you are not alone.
Yes. If he wasn't going to take immediate action, he should have just kept his mouth shut.
>> Yeah, the President showed no courage when he invaded Iraq right? He didn't have to do it you know. He could have cruised to reelection. But no, he risked his entire president and reelection and did it anyway.
God blessed his actions in Iraq because they were just. But now he will not 'risk' his presidency to defy an extemist, unelected, state judge? And what is there to risk? Does he fear he will not be elected for another term? Does he fear the Democrats will not let his judicial appointments go through? What exactly does he fear? He fears the U.S States Judiciary! God help the United States.
He had the Constitutional authority to invade Iraq, he doesn't have the authority to intervene in this case. Presidents just can't go around defying court rulings. He is President yes, but not a dictator.
Like it or not (I don't), Michael Schiavo's guardianship of the woman he is (sadly) legally married to has been affirmed by the courts - and thus, the law allows for him to determine the specifics of her care.
I think it's possible the law you want enforced applies to a different set of circumstances. Otherwise, a county prosecutor could bring charges against those responsible for a crime, and that hasn't even been suggested by anyone who knows what they're talking about.
It doesn't allow him to murder her with the morphine that they are currently pumping into Terri.
An immediate homicide charge should be made if/when she dies.
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