Commenting on Congress' and his own move to have Mrs. Schiavo's feeding tube re-inserted, thereby saving her life such that it is, President Bush essentially told reporters on March 23, that the executive and legislative branches of federal government were correct to "err on the side of life."
Those are curious words coming from a head of state who has launched American troops headlong into a pre-emptive war in Iraq after much worldwide warning about the bloodshed likely resulting from such an attack. With over 1,500 United States soldiers dead in Iraq to date, and with over 80 Iraqis killed by insurgents on the very same day Mr. Bush made the comment, it would be wise for his political opponents to repeatedly tag Mr. Bush from this point forward as the "Erring on the Side of Life President." But even if his opponents do not stick him with that moniker, large numbers from his own political party ought to seriously puzzle over why he made the "side of life" comment in light of the administration's positions on Iraq, health care (and within that, mental health care), Social Security reform, education, and the environment.