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."
If all we did was speak kindly of our president, this place would be a complete waste of time.
My, my you are a bully now aren't you.
Why don't you just back off and be nice now. If the truth bothers you, I'm sorry.
My, my you are a bully now aren't you.
Why don't you just back off and be nice now. If the truth bothers you, I'm sorry.
Jeb doesn't have the courage to fully exercise his power and go in and take Terri into custody. He should have done that LONG ago and in addition to saving Terri, he would have saved her parents and the rest of us a lot of heartache and trouble.
You obviously didn't read the article to the link I provided or you don't want to face the painful truth.
PhilipFreneau wrote:
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.
The "restrictions he is operating under" is, he doesn't have the balls to make a decision contrary to the wishes of unelected judges. That is a fact.
I wouldn't be surprised if he lays down a royal flush and red dogs the table again.
I hope you are a prophet.
But death has no dominion over us. Dead or alive the spotlight is on these cock-a-roaches, and we are going to win.
Amen. Liberalism will certainly die a convincing death, for all to see. But that is not so comforting when I consider the torture Terri Schiavo and her parents are facing. I pray God will punish those who had the power to help her, but did not.
That's right, judges' rulings shouldn't have the force of law. There are no checks and balances. Presidents and governors are dictators, free to do what they won't when they won't regardless of court rulings or laws passed. I can't believe you want the Bush brothers to be punished from God. Its not their fault. They are both good Christian men who I'm sure are going to heaven. I don't believe you can call yourself a Christian and go to heaven praying people go to hell....and I don't believe God listens to those prayers, although he may punish you for them.
I'm angry too. I'm not sure I've ever been more angry in my life. Ever.
(And I'm not sure I've ever prayed for any non family member as much as I have for Terri.......other than this President).
But I'm directing my anger at the people who are actually responsible for this travesty of justice and human rights...........and that's NOT Jeb Bush, and certainly not the President.
This place is crawling with trolls. Disgusting.
I'm through with you too. I can't help you're too dumb to understand checks and balances.
It is only fair that I remind you that Nixon operated in a Democratic controlled congress with very entrenched power. President Bush operates in a Republican controlled congress with republicans controlling a majority of the governorships and state legislatures, and he has the power to tell the judiciary to go to hell, if he had the balls to do so. BTW, I have been a member longer than you. Are you a troll, or something?
Thank you.
"Speaking unkindly about our President is not tolerated here."
Guess we'll have to ban all of those who passionately disagree with his illegal immigration stance.....whoops, that'd be 75-90% of this site.
You need to think things through.
Har! Speaking of "thinking things through" - - can you describe for me the scene, as you have imagined it, where Jeb and W get thrown in jail? I mean, exactly who comes with the cuffs?
Man, you sound as much like a scared bunny as Jeb, but with a much more fertile imagination.
Thank you, and I too am praying.
It is only fair that I remind you that Nixon operated in a Democratic controlled congress with very entrenched power. President Bush operates in a Republican controlled congress with republicans controlling a majority of the governorships and state legislatures, and he has the power to tell the judiciary to go to hell, if he had the balls to do so. BTW, I have been a member longer than you. Are you a troll, or something?
That's right, the judiciary isn't an equal branch of government. I'll remind you of this statement if the Democrats take control of the White House, Congress, Governorships and state legislatures and a Bush packed Supreme Court rules Roe v. Wade unconstitutional :)
So you didn't even read what you posted?
You said, IF Jeb had courage, Terri would now be being fed. That's a result, and it's a conclusion based on faulty logic.
(And, no I didn't read your link, but it has nothing to do with facing any truth......it has to do with valuing my time).
I'm not 100% sure of the timeline, but Gov Bush had someone call the hospital to bascially tell them DCF was going to take custody and ascertain they would reinsert the tube and the hospital called the judge and tipped him off what DCF was about to do... so he didn't not do anything, he was bushwhacked by the tight community that has closed around protecting Michael Schivo.
Sorry for being "snippy" -- but people should put the blame where it belongs.
I think a lot of Freepers miss the nuance of certain legal language, and they can't understand why things don't reconcile and common sense seems to be in short supply in the legal system.
That leads to a feeling of desperation, and people want something dramatic to be done.
I think this is a failure of the legal system, not a failure of Governor Bush. That's the point I'm trying to make. He's looking for a legal loophole, and people want a S.W.A.T. team...then they're angry with him and calling him names for not acting like he's a character on The West Wing.
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