Adding insult to injury.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Never mind what he says. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush apparently believes, contrary to every shred of physical evidence, that Michael Schiavo is guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Terri.

Not wanting to fall into the trap of long-distance diagnosis based only on watching a video of Governor Bush's news conference, we won't suggest that he's taken leave of his senses. But he has clearly succumbed to the Dark Side of the Political Force, and the result is hideous to behold.

Moments after the Pinellas County medical examiner finished delivering an exhaustive autopsy report last week definitively concluding that Terri Schiavo suffered severe brain damage with no evidence of other injuries, Bush called for a new investigation of her death. The governor understands full well that his every utterance in the Schiavo case gives him priceless national exposure. He now wants a prosecutor to look into the 15-year-old circumstances surrounding Schiavo's initial collapse.

Inspector Bush wants to know why Terri's husband, Michael, seems fuzzy about when he called 911 upon discovering his unconscious wife on the floor outside their bedroom Feb. 25, 1990. Michael Schiavo insists he summoned paramedics immediately, at about 4:30 or 5 a.m. Records indicate the 911 call was placed at about 5:40 a.m.

This discrepancy might be worth revisiting if Bush had a scintilla of new information to suggest that previous analyses of the timeline were inadequate. But he doesn't have diddly.

Michael Schiavo has never claimed to be certain of the exact time he called 911. He wasn't wearing a watch. He was understandably frazzled and under enormous stress.

More important, if Michael Schiavo really had waited between 40 and 70 minutes before seeking help, medical experts have consistently testified that there is little chance Terri would have survived. Last week's autopsy results only strengthen that assessment.

Finally, and Governor Bush knows this better than most, these circumstances have been examined repeatedly during extensive litigation, including a medical malpractice suit. No evidence has ever surfaced suggesting that Michael Schiavo delayed seeking medical help for his wife.

In fact, the actual evidence in this case has exonerated Michael Schiavo of the vicious accusations leveled by Terri's parents and Bush's supporters. Those baseless allegations include charges that Michael strangled, beat or otherwise abused Terri. If anyone is guilty of abuse in this case, it's Governor Bush, whose relentless persecution of Michael Schiavo has been nothing short of indecent.

The only potential crime under Florida law for which the statute of limitations hasn't already expired in the Schiavo case is intentional homicide - first-degree murder. But Bush disingenuously says he isn't accusing Michael Schiavo of any wrongdoing, just seeking answers to lingering questions.

Yeah, right. Here's another lingering question: Will this shameful political grandstanding hurt Jeb Bush's aspirations to higher office? If life were fair, it should.