THE GREAT DEM HOPE

Is Cruz in for a Bruisin'? (John Fund, OpinionJournal, 8/14/2003)

Mr. Bustamante .... "solidified his reputation for all-over-the-map indecisiveness," says Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters. "He would not do well in debates."

Another example of how he got that reputation: In 1997, during Mr. Bustamante's tenure as Assembly speaker. Bill Lockyer, who was then the Democratic leader in the state Senate, and Curt Pringle, leader of the Assembly Republicans, had worked out an intricate bipartisan agreement on a budget issue. But they needed a sign of approval from Speaker Bustamante. For weeks he dithered and wouldn't provide it. Finally, Messrs. Lockyer and Pringle marched over to Mr. Bustamante's office to confront him. Reporters who observed the two men entering the speaker's office were startled to see Mr. Bustamante slowly backing out of a side door that provided access to a hall from his private office. When Mr. Bustamante spotted the reporters, he broke out into a sweat. He then sheepishly went back in.

If he squeaks into the governorship, we'll soon be reading that he's a leading Dem presidential contender in 2008. Posted by Paul Jaminet at August 14, 2003 1:02 PM