Governor Bush and futile medical care

Apparently, George W. Bush's commitment to the "culture of life" is a relatively recent development.

Kleiman points to two cases in Texas in which the hospital has or is about to withdraw the feeding tubes on patients who, unlike Terri Schiavo, are -- or were -- conscious, but considered terminal by their doctors. Life support is being removed over the objection of a child's mother and a 68 year old's wife. Of course, there is another factor: the patients' ability to pay ongoing medical costs. I don't pretend to know the facts of either case, and don't wish to suggest that the doctors are in any way evil, but it underscores the faux-ness of the outrage shown in Washington over Terri Schiavo, who has been in a vegetative state for 15 years.

The White House announced late Saturday that President Bush, who was vacationing at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., would make an unscheduled return on Sunday to Washington, where he would remain until early Monday in anticipation of signing the measure.

Cutting short his vacation? Gosh, he wouldn't even do that in August 2001.