3.24.2005 | Perhaps Jeb won't become...

...our next president. I had the thoroughly unoriginal idea on March 1 that Jeb Bush, governor of Florida and younger brother to W., would make a sterling candidate in 2008. Now, however, it looks as though Gov. Bush may be letting an opportunity to stand up for life go by. The latest installment is that the Supremes won't (again) hear the Schiavo case. It is beginning to look as though the only thing that might work is if Jeb Bush has the Florida National Guard or state police go to the hospice and rescue Terri Schiavo bodily.

What, you say? You advocate Jeb Bush taking the law into his own hands? In this matter, the law may say that Terri Schiavo must die. The law, if it says this, is not moral, and we have the duty to contravene it if we can. Gov. Bush can. It's true he would likely lose much support from so-called "moderates." To which I would say that there are some things more important than being president (or governor, for that matter). He's already on the outs with the pro-death crowd (for an outstanding essay on this group, see Peggy Noonan's article in today's WSJ). In reality, it's far from clear how much support he would lose. He might actually gain support from us evangelical crazies.

Terri Schiavo may, indeed, be beyond feeling or knowing anything. But simple justice, nevermind "the law", demands that the benefit of the doubt be given to the even infinitesimal chance that she could make some recovery. Ms. Schiavo's parents apparently stand ready, willing, and able to shoulder the financial burden for keeping her alive. The one who wants her dead has a bit of a conflict of interest (living with another woman with whom he has had children). Not to mention that it's his say-so against Terri's parents as to what she might wish to have happen.

We are told by some, most, in fact, that Terri is a vegetable and that she has zero chance for any kind of consciousness. Others are less sure. For instance, yesterday at NRO, Pia de Solenni, director of life and women’s issues at the Family Research Council, reminds us

Terri was not on life support. She breathes on her own and her brain can still keep her organs functioning. Terri wasn’t dying any more than the rest of us until her feeding and hydration tube was pulled on Friday. At that point, she started to die, just like you and I would if we were denied food and water for an extended period of time.

Ms. de Solenni's absolutely correct conclusion? "Disability or lack of ability are not grounds for starvation."

The courts are not the problem. Those who would err on the side of death are. Gov. Jeb Bush -- you know what you need to do.