A Bush family slip-up
                                   From ConsortiumNews via Online Journal.com
 
                                   December 1, 2000 | The Bush family's extraordinary grab for
                                   power has sought to conceal the hand of one key figure in
                                   particular: Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

                                   The official story is that Jeb Bush has recused himself from
                                   Florida's electoral dispute, the remarkable three-week battle
                                   that the Bush family hopes will lead to its political restoration
                                   in the White House.

                                   Since the Nov. 7 election, Jeb Bush has slid into the
                                   background for an obvious reason. Amid disclosures of
                                   widespread voting irregularities in Florida, Jeb's public role
                                   aiding his brother's election might strike millions of Americans
                                   as nepotism.

                                   Jeb's public involvement also might fuel speculation that there
                                   was some method to the apparent madness of Florida's
                                   electoral screw-ups.

                                   After all, the nation has not exactly embraced the notion of a
                                   Bush Restoration. Texas Gov. George W. Bush is on his way
                                   to the White House as the first popular-vote loser in more
                                   than a century. He also is en route with a dubious claim to
                                   Florida's crucial 25 electoral votes.

                                   Vice President Al Gore appears to have been the choice of
                                   Florida's voters who went to the polls on Election Day,
                                   though tens of thousands of their votes were not counted for
                                   a variety of reasons.

                                   Since then, the Bush forces have relied on a grab bag of
                                   strategies to block a hand recount of votes and protect W.'s
                                   537-vote lead – even dispatching paid hooligans to South
                                   Florida before Thanksgiving.

                                   By openly rigging the outcome in Florida, Jeb might make
                                   Americans feel a little too much like helpless peasants
                                   watching, heads bowed, as the Bush family's royal carriage
                                   speeds by to the coronation.

                                   So, the official line has been that Jeb Bush has taken himself
                                   out of the picture and is letting the creaky electoral process
                                   of Florida work itself through. We are told that the Bushes so
                                   assiduously respect the democratic process that Jeb has
                                   chosen to step aside rather than create even the appearance
                                   of a conflict of interest.

                                   Sure, Jeb's cronies – Secretary of State Katherine Harris and
                                   the Republican leadership of the state legislature – are
                                   working hard to ensure that a final vote count doesn't show
                                   Al Gore to be Florida's real winner.

                                   But the story for public consumption is that Jeb has kept his
                                   distance and only reluctantly might sign a law overturning a
                                   Gore victory.

                                   That, however, is not the view of one well-informed
                                   character in this tale, the patriarch of the political dynasty,
                                   former President George H.W. Bush.

                                   During an interview on NBC's Today show on Nov. 29, the
                                   ex-president gave the viewers a glimpse of the reality behind
                                   the curtain.

                                   The elder George Bush was saying that he was not
                                   personally engaged in this battle for the White House.
                                   Contrary to the widespread impression that he was pulling
                                   the strings, the ex-president insisted that his two sons – W.
                                   and Jeb – were the ones handling matters.

                                   "I'm trying to stay out of politics," the former president said.
                                   "Stay off the stage, leave this to George and his very capable
                                   team. Leave it to Jeb [and] his equally capable team."

                                   The admission that Jeb and his "capable team" were taking
                                   care of the family's political business in Florida clashed with
                                   the official story of Jeb as uninvolved – and the ex-president
                                   quickly caught himself.

                                   Barely missing a beat, the onetime CIA director added an
                                   unconvincing addendum: "Although Jeb has said to recuse
                                   himself from deliberations."

                                   Indeed, "Jeb has said to recuse himself from deliberations."
                                   But it sure didn't sound like the cagey old man was taking
                                   those public assurances very seriously.

Privacy Policy
. .