GOV. BUSH CRIES IN SHARING FAMILY'S ORDEAL OVER DRUGS

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush broke down and cried in a speech Tuesday
as he thanked an audience of law enforcement and drug prevention
professionals for their sympathy following his daughter's drug arrest
earlier this year.

''I want to thank you on behalf of my wife for your prayers and for
your quiet counseling in the last few months about our daughter
Noelle,'' he said, his voice trailing off and shaking with emotion.

The ballroom full with about 300 people fell silent for a full 15
seconds as the governor composed himself.

``It's been tough personally, but it doesn't change my resolve for
making this an incredibly high priority.''

The crowd erupted in applause, and the governor appeared ready to
resume a speech focusing on the successes of his administration in
fighting illegal drugs.

''Bush men always cry,'' he said, perhaps alluding to his brother's
teary tribute in March to the families of two Florida Army Rangers
killed in Afghanistan.

''I apologize,'' he said. ``It's some genetic problem I got from my
dad, I think.''

Bush, who is running this year for reelection, has made drug use
prevention and treatment an issue since his campaign in 1998.

Early in his term, he appointed retired Army Col. Jim McDonough to
coordinate the state's anti-drug efforts. First Lady Columba Bush,
meanwhile, has devoted much of her public time to visiting youth drug
treatment centers and other programs.

In January, the Bushes' private family struggle burst into the
headlines when Noelle, 24, was arrested in the middle of the night at
the drive-through of a 24-hour Walgreen's in Tallahassee trying to buy
the anti-anxiety drug Xanax with a fraudulent prescription.

Under a pretrial agreement between her lawyer and prosecutors, she
entered an in-patient drug rehabilitation center, where she remains
indefinitely.

A February order by Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Francis requires
that she remain in the treatment center ''until completion of her
treatment program,'' after which she will report back to the court's
pretrial program.

Noelle's lawyer, Pete Antonacci of Tallahassee, said Tuesday that the
governor's daughter is ``doing very well.''

Immediately following the arrest, the governor and his wife asked the
press and the public to respect their privacy.

But Tuesday marked the second time that Bush has spoken publicly about
his daughter's arrest. The first time came in a February speech to a
state substance-abuse panel.

Following his speech Tuesday, the governor told reporters that he
probably should not have brought up the topic.

''She's doing all right, but it's not easy to always be worried
[about] someone who's addicted to substances,'' he said. ``As a dad, I
love her very much. I want her to live a healthy, fulfilled life.

''We've been struggling with this for a long time,'' the governor
continued. ``I don't know why I brought it up, because I knew I was
going to cry. It's stupid for me to even talk about.''

Bush, meanwhile, has not shied away from controversial issues related
to drug policy, even ones that hit close to home. In his speech, he
derided the ''clowns'' who were until recently pushing a
constitutional amendment in Florida that would have let certain first-
and second-time drug offenders avoid jail and go to treatment.

The initiative was modeled after a similar measure passed
overwhelmingly in 2000 by California voters, but backers dropped the
Florida campaign shortly after Bush expressed his opposition. Tuesday,
the governor pledged to fight the initiative, backed by millionaire
George Soros, if it ever returns to the state. ''His point was
normalization, legalization.'' Bush said. ``He's wrong.''