Sunday, February 8, 1998

Bush shows leadership, then stumbles

By Steve Ray

On Tuesday, Gov. George W. Bush exhibited the kind of leadership that makes many Texans consider him a great governor and the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000.

Two days later he stumbled.

The two instances have raised questions about Bush's motives and whether his decisions are being influenced by political ambition.

And the impact of those decisions could carry over into this year's race for governor and a possible run for the presidency.

At issue are the death penalty and public health, two concerns on the minds of Texans in recent weeks as the state executed its first woman since the Civil War and prepared to begin reaping benefits from a windfall deal with Big Tobacco.

On Feb. 3, Bush faced a leadership crisis. He could have delayed for 30 days the execution of convicted killer Karla Faye Tucker, who claimed she had been rehabilitated and become a born-again Christian.

The legal issues were clear. The verdict was in. Tucker was responsible for the murder of two people. The courts reviewed the case and refused to overturn it. Tucker had received a fair trial and was facing the ultimate punishment for the ultimate crime.

The moral issues were a little more fuzzy. Tucker had been jailed for 14 years. By all accounts she had turned her life around. She claimed to be a born-again Christian, and thousands of people were asking that her life be spared.

But after days of consideration, Bush came down on the side of the law. That was his job. That was what he was elected to do.

Analysts said the governor was walking a political tightrope. He needed to show he was tough on crime without alienating conservative Christians who wanted Tucker's life spared.

I think that was the last thing on Bush's mind.

'Judgments about the heart and soul of an individual on death row are best left to a higher authority,' Bush said, after telling reporters he had prayed about his decision. 'The role of the state is to enforce our laws and to make sure all individuals are treated fairly under those laws.'

It was one of Bush's finest moments. It can't be easy to hold someone's life in your hands -- even if your only choice is to delay their death for 30 days.

The decision had been a difficult and emotional one for him. But in the end, Bush came down on the side of the law and justice. And that was leadership at its best.

Two days later, it was a different story.

Bush went to court to stop a deal Texans had made with attorneys who won the state a $15.3 billion deal with the nation's cigarette makers.

Lawyers were promised 15 percent of the take from tobacco interests -- which means they could pocket $2.3 billion. They spent $50 million of their own money winning the settlement.

Attorney General Dan Morales said Bush's actions could jeopardize the whole agreement. He accused the governor of pandering to Big Tobacco in an effort to get contributions for his possible presidential run.

Bush said he just wanted to ensure Texas wouldn't have to pay the five private lawyers who handled the case out of taxpayer money. Morales insists tobacco companies will pay the bill.

Either way, Bush's lawsuit raises serious questions about the ability of folks to trust Texas when they make a deal with the state. It also focuses on tobacco's influence on the pocketbooks of many Republican officeholders and raises concerns about its influence with some of Bush's political advisers.

For Texas and Bush, the risks are great. If the lawsuit scuttles the state's settlement with tobacco, voters aren't likely to forget. Even more, the public health of Texas kids will be hurt.

If that happens, it will be leadership at its worst.

That's not what George W. Bush wants for himself or for the state.

And whether or not he likes it, being the top GOP pick for president invites criticism that politics plays a major role in every decision Bush makes.

And it puts him in an uncomfortable position of having those decisions dissected by political opponents and the press.

Steve Ray is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau.