IT'S WHAT BUSH LEARNED FROM MISTAKES THAT MATTERS THE MOST

Former Springfield resident Doug Wead has made national and international
headlines by releasing secret tapes he made of President Bush from 1998-2000.

It's surprising a friend would tape phone conversations, but Bush's views
and revelations are consistent with what's already known about him. The
tapes may be scandalous but they don't provide any new insight into Bush's
character.

One of the most interesting parts of the tapes that were released are the
parts where Bush talks about his youth and rumors of drug use.

Bush's comments are concerned with avoiding uncomfortable questions while
at the same time being a good role model.

At one point, Bush told Wead his youthful partying involved nothing more
than "just, you know, wild behavior."

In another portion of the dialogue, he said, "I don't want any kid doing
what I tried to do 30 years ago."

All people make mistakes and grow more mature as they get older. People
shouldn't be judged on what they did in their youth. American life is full
of second chances and people who started over.

The question for people running for public office -- and for each
individual also -- is not whether they've made mistakes. The question is
how have they learned from those missteps.