Bustamante Leads Schwarzenegger in Heated Race

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, Aug. 24 — In the upcoming California recall election, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante holds a wide lead over actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

A recent L.A. Times poll gives Bustamante the support of 35% of likely voters, compared with 22% for Schwarzenegger. (The leading pro-life candidate, William Simon Jr., quit the race after the poll was taken.)

Meanwhile, ethnic politics have begun to show up in the race. Schwarzenegger has faced ongoing criticism for his support of Proposition 187, the 1994 ballot initiative denying taxpayer-funded services to illegal immigrants.

Now Bustamante has come under fire for his longtime association with a Chicano group.

In an Aug. 19 syndicated column, Michelle Malkin pointed out that as a student at Fresno State University, “Bustamante was an active member of the Movimiento Estudiantil de Aztlan, or MEChA.” This group's constitution calls on members to “to continue the struggle for the self-determination of the Chicano people for the purpose of liberating Aztlan.”

Aztlan refers to U.S. territory that once belonged to Mexico, including “parts of Washington and Oregon down to California and Arizona and over to Texas, which MEChA … seeks to reconquer for Mexico.”

Legal Guardian Sought for Fetus

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Aug. 21 — In a move observers see as a victory for the pro-life cause, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ordered state attorneys Aug. 21 to ask the Fifth District Court of Appeals to appoint a legal guardian for an unborn child.

The woman carrying the child is retarded and is thought to have conceived through rape. She is also thought to be about nine months pregnant, and there have been no plans to abort her child.

A Florida Circuit Court judge denied requests this spring to appoint a guardian for the fetus, though he okayed one for the mother. An Orlando resident seeking to be the unborn child's guardian appealed the decision.

Bush has added his support to her case, something the Times said might be more of a strategic move to help his brother, President George W. Bush, win Florida in the 2004 election.

Pro-abortion lawyers worried appointing a guardian for the woman's fetus would establish that fetuses were persons.

Apologies to Atheists, Including Those in War

FACE THE NATION, Aug. 24 — CBS's Bob Schieffer observed on the Sunday talk show Aug. 17 that “there are no atheists in foxholes.”

A week later, he found himself apologizing, reporting that he had heard from atheists about the comment, including two with the military in Iraq.

“[They] reminded me that freedom of religion also means the right not to believe, and they said my remark unfairly challenged the sincerity of their views,” he said. “To all of you who took offense, I can only say that none was intended and I regret a poor choice of words.”

Commenting on the mea culpa, the Media Research Center said: “It's not unusual for journalists to offend religious believers, but when CBS's Bob Schieffer upset some atheists, he jumped to apologize.”