Did Jeb Bush Go Far Enough to Try to Save Terri Schiavo to Save His Iowa Chances?
His actions in the Schiavo case were supposed to help him with evangelicals—but some of them wish he'd done more.
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Standing at the pulpit of his Sioux City, Iowa, mega-church a decade ago, Reverend Cary Gordon wept over the death of Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman who had her feeding tubes removed more than 1,500 miles away in Florida. Now, the politician mostly closely associated with trying to keep her alive is coming to the state searching for support for his prospective presidential bid.
To much of the world, it appeared as if Jeb Bush, then the governor of Florida, stood his ground against those who wanted to take Schiavo off life support. But that's not the picture that emerged for some in a crucial constituency in the state with the first presidential nominating contest.