The War on Terri Part XIII

We wait for death.

Governor Jeb Bush is a very, very good man:

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.

If anyone doubted the essential goodness of the Bush family, these doubts should be laid to rest by the fact that the governor of Florida and the President of the United States personally intervened in their best efforts to save the life of a disabled woman. That's a civil rights record to be proud of.

Some Republicans are outraged by the notion that Congress, empowered by the Constitution to establish judicial jurisdictions, gave federal jurisdiction for this case. They wish to leave the party. Fine, goodbye.

The sad silliness of such people gives me pause. The GOP-led Congress extends federal jurisdiction (which is perfectly constitutional) one time, so now these people are going to vote Democrat, since the Democrats make evertything a federal issue all the time? Yup, the Republican party is truly going to suffer the loss of such masters of logic.

I think their loss will be more than offset by the gains in Americans who now see what compassionate conservatism is all about.