■ President Bush has begun a 31-day vacation in Crawford, Texas, evidently prompted by Confucius. “And Kung said, ‘Wang ruled with moderation, in his day the State was well kept, and even I can remember a day when the historians left blanks in their writings.’”
■ In 1990, during the first Bush administration, Adarand Constructors, a Colorado Springs firm that makes guardrails, submitted the low bid for a Department of Transportation contract. The fob went to another firm, however, because Adarand was owned by whites, and its rival was owned by Hispanics. Adarand sued; its case came to the Supreme Court, which asked the feds to retool their program to demonstrate a “compelling” government interest; the retooling was done, and approved by a circuit court, and it will appear, on appeal, before the Supreme Court once again next term. Now the Justice Department of Bush II has filed a brief asking the Supremes to let the program stand, so that “public dollars” will “not serve to finance the evil of private prejudice.” What about the stupidity of government prejudice? During the campaign, George W. Bush said he was against quotas, but for “affirmative access.” Watch those weasel words; they can protect old quota programs better than any guardrails Adarand Constructors makes.
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