NOELLE BUSH JAILED 10 DAYS

Gov. Jeb Bush sat silently Thursday as his brother, the 43rd president of
the United States, challenged parents and teachers to change "one heart,
one person at a time."

Sixty miles away, the governor's daughter, Noelle -- inmate No. 02044489 --
sat in the Orange County Jail again, proof of just how tough it can be for
a person to turn a life around.

Earlier in the day, Orange-Osceola Circuit Judge Reginald Whitehead had
sentenced Bush to 10 days for violating terms of her drug-treatment program
by possessing crack cocaine. The judge, who had sent her to jail three
months ago for possessing drugs, urged her to use the time to reconsider
the choices she has made.

"I hope this is a learning lesson to you. I can't go back into the past and
change the situation," Whitehead said. "We have to learn from this mistake.
And you, most importantly, have to learn from this mistake."

For Bush -- governor, candidate and father of three -- the collision of his
public political life with another painful turn in his private family life
played out starkly.

Shortly after a deputy sheriff led Jeb Bush's 25-year-old daughter from the
courtroom in handcuffs, Bush was told about the judge's decision during a
campaign-related interview at a Tampa-area television station. He thought
of his wife.

'Call Columba'

"Call Columba," he told an aide, according to the Web site of Bay News 9,
which decided not to air its tape on the governor's reaction. That Bush
received the news about his only daughter while campaigning -- and that
neither parent was present at the hearing -- illustrates the complexities
of this highly publicized case.

Dorothy Bush Koch, the governor's younger sister, came from her home in
Bethesda, Md., and Cory Tilley, a trusted former aide, traveled from
Tallahassee to be with Noelle in Whitehead's courtroom.

Although Whitehead did not discuss the reason for her jailing in open
court, the sanctions resulted from a Sept. 9 incident in which a dime-
sized chunk of crack cocaine was found in her shoe at the Center for
Drug-Free Living in Orlando.

The president's niece has been undergoing treatment at the center since
February as an alternative to going through the traditional
criminal-justice system. She entered the drug-court system after being
accused of trying to use a fake prescription to buy the anti-anxiety drug
Xanax in Tallahassee in January.

Earlier this week, Whitehead had rejected a request from Bush's attorneys
that the media and public be banned from her drug-court proceedings.

Before learning she was going to jail, Noelle Bush said, "I sincerely
apologize for what happened, and I promise to do well at the Center for
Drug-Free Living."

Whitehead told Bush that he was disappointed in her but added he thought
she could complete drug treatment successfully and was allowing her to stay
in the program.

"This is a great opportunity for yourself to see if you can do well,"
Whitehead said.

'I have a job to do'

At a campaign stop a few hours after his TV interview, the governor said he
avoided the hearing because he did not want to bring more media attention
to his daughter's case.

He refused to say whether he would visit his daughter in jail.

"I have a job to do, and I intend to do my job," Bush told reporters at a
senior-citizens fair in St. Petersburg. "But that doesn't mean that I don't
think about my daughter every minute of every day."

He added: "I pray every day with my wife that a light goes off inside of
her and that she realizes that she needs to make better choices in her life."

That was the last time he mentioned it all day, avoiding reporters during
his brother's visit to a Volusia County elementary school. Columba Bush
made no public appearances, and staffers for the governor said they did not
know where she was.

The Bushes also stayed away in July, when their daughter was sentenced to
three days in jail for unauthorized possession of prescription drugs. Then,
their firstborn son, George P. Bush, stood for the family.

Tilley said it was more than fear of the "media circus" that has kept the
governor away.

"They believe it is easier on their daughter if she is given as little
attention as possible," he said. "And if the governor walked into the
courtroom, would the governor be trying to influence the decision?"

Tilley scoffed at the presumption that the absence of a father and mother
in court suggested any lack of devotion. "He dearly loves his daughter, and
anybody who doesn't understand that doesn't understand this family."

A private family

The governor's family shares little of its private life in public, although
he has shed tears in public about his daughter's plight, including an
interview this week on NBC's Today show.

The family's public displays rarely vary beyond a few standard lines
delivered at public events, such as President Bush's words Thursday in New
Smyrna Beach.

"I know him well; I know his heart," the president said of his younger
brother. "I know his strength of conviction, and I know his vision."

The governor, alternately folding his hands or crossing his legs as his
brother spoke for a half-hour at the schoolhouse, listened restively as the
president declared, "We can change America one heart, one person at a time."

The president told his audience of 250, "One person can do something. One
person can help change one child's life. When you find somebody who hurts,
somebody who is in need, somebody who needs shelter, somebody who needs
love, be that person who is willing to give that love."

The governor insists that his daughter, who has battled addiction for
nearly a decade, must help herself, however.

Noelle Bush was booked into the state's third-largest jail about 9:35 a.m.
Because she came directly from court, she wasn't fingerprinted. She was
photographed before changing into a standard dark-blue jumpsuit and orange
rubber sandals.

Jail officials said she was being held in protective custody, separate from
the general population. Officials said that is the policy for high-profile
inmates.

The 8-by-9-foot cell includes a metal bed, mattress, sink and commode.
Instead of bars, the dormlike cell has a door with a window.

Turkey franks, baked beans and bread were served at lunch. Supper consisted
of chili with rice and corn. At 11 p.m., lights were dimmed.

Penalties grow harsher

Assistant State Attorney Willie May, part of the drug-court team, said
sanctions typically start with eight hours of community service.

He said that after 10 days, the next likely consequence was a month behind
bars. Only one person in the program has received that sanction, May said.

"When folks get to that point, it's on the bubble as to whether they will
stay in the program or not," he said.

In the auditorium of Read-Pattillo Elementary School in New Smyrna Beach,
one after another of the parents who crowded in to see the president and
his brother expressed sympathy for the dilemma facing the governor's daughter.

"I really don't believe it has anything to do with his ability to lead
Florida," said Ron Potkul, a photographer and father.

Thursday's events overshadowed the highly competitive governor's race that
Republican Bush hopes to win.

Democrats said they would not comment on the potential political impact of
the sentencing.

Alan Stonecipher, a spokesman for the Bill McBride campaign, noted that
Bush's rival has consistently declined to comment on the issue.

"Bill has said it's a private matter for the Bush family," he said. "It's
none of our business."