Well. We have "little Georgie" coming up.
Kerry Spot [ jim geraghty reporting ]
LONG-RANGE POLITICAL FORECASTING [12/28 04:30 PM]
Rev. Nelson Quiñones, an assistant pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Allentown, Pa., writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer that "For valid reasons, President Bush has secured the loyalty of the growing Latino constituency. Certainly, the Bush legacy is intertwined with the Latino community."
According to a White House curriculum vitae, [Alberto] Gonzales' qualifications including having been a Texas Supreme Court judge, secretary of state for Texas, Bush's chief adviser and liaison on Mexico and border issues, an adjunct law professor, and a graduate of Rice University and Harvard Law School. He attended the Air Force Academy and served in the Air Force.
Such a man is an ideal role model, not only for Latinos but also for all Americans. Gonzales' visibility touches many U.S. Hispanics who can identify with his luchas, struggles from poverty to "a shared hope for an opportunity to succeed. 'Just give me a chance to prove myself' - that is a common prayer for those in my community."
Gonzales is not a perfect fit. The Senate will question memos he has written regarding the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan, the Abu Ghraib prisoners, and the trials at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Still, it's hard to question Gonzales' proven loyalty and service to this country. And in the eyes of the American people, a Latino as the country's chief law enforcement officer would establish a comfort zone of acceptance.
Bush was supported by an estimated 40 percent of Latino voters, and he is repaying that support. But he may also be preparing the way for another Latino - his nephew George.
George P. Bush is the son of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his Mexican-born wife, Columba. It is often said that George P. Bush has star quality written all over him. His mother raised him. John Shelby Spong has written that "he is an emerging political force who combines intellect, personal charm and a potent political name. Watch for him to emerge as a Florida senator or governor by 2016 and a candidate for the White House by the end of the first quarter of the 21st century."
Does anyone else read this and picture former President George H.W. Bush reading this and saying, "Yes! In your face, Joseph Kennedy!" |
