SCRIPTOIDS: Of Jeb and Terri and hurricanes and bombings

Leave it to Keith Olbermann and Craig Crawford to put l'affaire de Jeb et de Terri in proper perspective on Coundown.

OLBERMANN: You can't miss the irony, even if you don't see the intent. The government's involvement in the Terri Schiavo case was consistently played out on the biggest stage its adherents could find, and almost always televised live. All that is over, and the declaration that it is over was made by the governor of Florida yesterday while his state focused on the hurricane and the rest of the world focused on the bombings in London. . . .

Terri Schiavo, case closed, says Jeb Bush. But he said it real quiet, the governor declaring an end to the state's inquiry into Ms. Schiavo's death based on the fact that Florida's state prosecutor found no evidence of criminal activity. . . .

The governor said nothing until yesterday, and when he spoke, he made perhaps the shortest statement ever made by any politician or protester about this case. The first sentence was a thank you. The second reads, “Based on your conclusions, I will follow your recommendation that the inquiry by the state be closed.” In 2003, Governor Bush led the state legislature to pass a law allowing him to order Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted. That law was later declared unconstitutional. . . .

CRAIG CRAWFORD, “CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY”: Hi, there. You know, if you got to eat a full plate of crow, you might as well do it when nobody's watching.

OLBERMANN: Yes. But with the hurricane coming in and the cable networks and everybody else focused on London, was it—could it have been a coincidence that the governor chose yesterday to reveal what the state attorney had found?

CRAWFORD: Well, we can't prove intent, but the circumstantial evidence is certainly strong. . . .

OLBERMANN: Is somebody—is some politician going to issue an apology to Michael Schiavo after, as you said, basically saying, Well, maybe we should have a murder investigation here?

CRAWFORD: You'd think that a man, a private citizen who's basically been accused of murder, or at the very least, the governor has ordered a murder investigation, was owed an apology. Anybody with class might apologize to the guy. But. . . Jeb Bush is probably a lot like his brother. They believe that old John Wayne line from one of John Ford movies, you know, Never say you're sorry, they'll just think you're weak.

OLBERMANN: Have, in fact, the politicians completely cleared out of this saga now, or is there something yet to come?

CRAWFORD: Oh, I think there's plenty to come. The battle for the control of Congress has begun. The voters get to vote a little over a year from now. But I think we'll hear a lot of politicians rattling the evangelical conservatives, the pro-life movement throughout the country on this issue. And that's one reason. I think it may a political plus for Jeb Bush in some way if he does run for president. That's a very important group in Republican primaries.

OLBERMANN: And the facts will not pertain whatsoever to it.

CRAWFORD: No, probably not. You know, I've followed Jeb Bush since my Florida reporting days, and I've tried to understand. It seems strange to me because he's a very logical man, really a policy wonk, compared to his brother. And this seem a departure. But I remember even from the episode in “Star Trek,” when the ever-logical Mr. Spock went stark raving mad, so I guess it could happen to anybody.