NONE OF OUR BUSINESS

THE DAUGHTER OF FLORIDA Gov. Jeb Bush is in trouble with the law. To
which we say, so what? What business is it of ours?

We have argued before and, alas, will no doubt be forced to argue
again that the family problems of prominent people are just that --
family problems, and nobody else's concern. Yet when Noelle Bush, the
governor's 24-year-old daughter, was arrested last week for allegedly
trying to buy an anti-anxiety drug using a forged prescription, the
press was on her like maggots. We are now seeing stories about all her
previous traffic tickets and no doubt will find out soon how well she
did in eighth-grade math.

There's nothing unusual about this unwarranted attention,
unfortunately. The press already has had a field day with the
president's daughters, who used fake ID cards to get into a nightclub.
Previous family members whose fathers or mothers occupied executive
offices have received the same prurient interest from the media if
they stepped across the line. The only exception who comes to mind is
Chelsea Clinton, who kept her nose clean and whose parents guarded her
carefully. Now, however, even she's become more interesting to certain
media outlets.

It is difficult to comprehend the interest in the misfortunes of Jeb
Bush's daughter. Is there some implication that the governor and his
wife are bad parents and should have spent more time with Noelle? Any
parent would dispute that; all young people get into jams, and the
troubles don't always stop when they become adults. Is there some
veiled reference here to the president's earlier struggles with drugs,
some between-the-lines implication that substance abuse is a
familywide problem? That shameless insinuation is scurrilous.

More likely the problem lies with the media's -- and the public's --
fascination with gossip, even when that fascination constitutes
invasion of privacy.

We extend our sympathy to the governor and his family and wish them
well in dealing with what is their problem, and their problem alone.
To the national press corps we say, back off.