I invite you to think back to those heady days in the fall of 2004 when it was possible to believe that John Kerry might just squeak out an electoral victory over George Bush. In the debates between the two candidates, Bush constantly talked up his consistency while accusing Kerry of changing positions.
Bush argued -- apparently effectively -- that in this time of crisis, a leader who strikes a position and sticks with it to the bitter end is the one best suited to govern. He talked about having the strength of his convictions. It didn't matter, I guess, that he had famously reversed himself on numerous issues and that Kerry was, in fact, the more consistent politician. (It didn't help that Kerry was pathologically inept at defining his stances.)
Commentator James Ridgeway wrote in this week's Village Voice, "Attorneys in Texas claimed that Bush, while governor, had signed a law that would have indeed permitted removal of a feeding tube in situations similar to Schiavo's. If so, that would make Bush look like the most cynical of politicians. "
Well, James, here it is:
166.039. (a) If an adult qualified patient has not executed or issued a directive and is incompetent or otherwise mentally or physically incapable of communication, the attending physician and the patient's legal guardian or an agent under a medical power of attorney may make a treatment decision that may include a decision to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment from the patient.
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7 comments:
For the love of god, lets have this congress and this administration focus ALL their energy on this issue, not pay attention to anything else until we can vote them out. Please!!!
Sorry Andy, but this is one of those situations where you have to move beyond DNC talking points. Only looking at the law Bush signed ignores the background against which the law arose. Before this law, Texas hospitals only had to give 72 hours notice to families in these situations if they wanted to move the patient to another facility. We can assume Bush would have preferred a different law than the one he signed, but he capitulated to political reality and signed what could pass the state legislature.
That last one was me.
JP
JP, I'm afraid I can't agree. Terri Schiavo fits exactly the criteria set forth by this bill that George Bush signed in 1999. If he objected to such third-party decisions, he could have vetoed the bill and the Legislature would have overridden it, as they did with the Patients' Bill of Rights act. Presumably a patient or two died from exactly this kind of decision while he was Governor. Did he step in and direct the state legislature to intercede on any vegetative person's behalf, as his brother has done in Florida? Did he appeal to the U.S. Congress or President Clinton? Did he take any official action ever to intervene on behalf of someone whose status was in dispute? No. But he did preside over the execution of mentally retarded people.
He is taking gross advantage of this tragedy in order to further develop his heroic image in the minds of a narrow yet overrepresented minority, and they are lauding him for his dedication to the preservation of life. I just want these people to be aware that six years ago, when he actually DID have legitimate authority to act to prevent such deaths (by not signing the bill), he declined to do so.
Andy, you aren't understanding my point. The situation in Texas before the 1999 law was "bad" (from Bush's perspective). The legislature passed a bill that would make it "better" (again, his perspective) and he signed it, even though it didn't make state law "ideal." Are you saying that you prefer him when he holds fast and doesn't compromise?
No, not at all. I'm saying Bush should publicly admit that sometimes he compromises.
Even if Bush does what you wish for, Andy, and admits that he sometimes compromises, it wouldn't do us any good. Why? Because if he ever does make such an admission, he would do it at exactly the moment that is most advantageous for him. We should never misunderestimate him--that is his own advice. I think we should assume he never makes mistakes, and he always knows exactly what it is he is doing.
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