Terri Shiavo meets the President

Terri Schiavo's feeding tube is out. Congress rushes into emergency session to draft a bill to get the case in front of yet one more judge. President Bush cuts short a weekend in Texas and rushes back to the oval office to await the bill so he can sign it into law. The federal court judge says no. The tube is still out.

What does all of this show the American people? Congress as a collective whole is in a persistant vegetative state. We have serious issues to deal with in this country that need to be dealt with. They can't get together on those issues, but this is something they can agree on. The Terri Shiavo case doesn't require a real decision. It's a win/win situation for them and the President. They don't really have to make a decision about whether she lives or dies. They get to pass the buck on that one. They just get to look go for being so compassionate, Republicans and Democrates both.

Of course it seems to be backfiring. The people who think Shiavo should be allowed to die are angry because they don't think Congress and the President should have gotten involved in the first place. And now that the ferderal judge has said no, the people who want the tube put back in want to know why congress didn't do more.

As I said, a persistant vegetative state.