"Guess what ... They're gonna be put to death!"

In an exchange over hate crime legislation, Bush said Texas didn't need tougher laws in the wake of the 1998 murder of James Byrd, the black man dragged to a hideous death behind a pickup truck in Jasper, Texas, because the three white men who killed him received the death penalty.

Bush got his numbers wrong: Only two of the three men convicted of the crime face execution. What might hurt him even more than that error, however, is the glib (some might say gleeful) way he made his claim. "Guess what: The three men who murdered James Byrd? Guess what's gonna happen to them: They're gonna be put to death!" Bush smiled, then went on: "It's gonna be hard to punish them any worse once they get put to death." He closed with an odd facial twitch that seemed to be his best effort not to smirk, then circled back again: "We can't enhance the penalty any more than putting those three thugs to death. And that's what's gonna happen in the state of Texas!"

Bush is already savaged nightly by Jay Leno and David Letterman for the fast pace of executions in Texas -- the governor has 145 notches on his belt -- and his boast about the impending death of Byrd's killers won't stop the jokes. More significantly, it won't reassure those who argue he doesn't take seriously the grave responsibility that accompanies state-sanctioned killing, even of convicted criminals.

"I support equal rights, but not special rights for people."

When moderator Jim Lehrer asked Bush, "Do you believe in general terms that gays and lesbians should have the same rights as other Americans?" he tried to have it both ways, appeasing the right wing of his party without alienating gays.

"Yes," Bush responded. "I don't think they ought to have special rights, but I think they ought to have the same rights ... I'm going to be respectful for people. I'll tolerate people. And I support equal rights, but not special rights for people."

The phrase "special rights" suggests extra rights, special advantages that would be handed out to certain politically correct groups. In fact, it denotes civil rights protections for members of specific groups, such as women, minorities and religious groups, from discrimination directed against them because of their membership in those groups. Conservatives argue that existing laws make such protections unnecessary.

Bush has a history of being wishy-washy on gay rights issues in the workplace, and there's nothing in his history that would suggest he would support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. That legislation, supported by Gore and congressional Democrats, would forbid employers from firing workers on the basis of sexual orientation.

As for protection for gays under hate crimes laws, Bush opposed adding sexual orientation to a 1999 Texas hate crimes statute. That proposed law, which earned support from the family of James Byrd, died in the Texas Legislature.

Unlike his running mate Dick Cheney, the Texas governor did not speak specifically about so-called "civil unions," legally recognized gay partnerships that receive some of the state benefits normally reserved for marriages. Cheney has said such laws should be decided on a state-by-state basis, and has come under fire for that position from several "family values" advocates.

Furthermore, Bush not only opposes gay marriage, but has also stated his opposition to allowing gay people to adopt children. In late 1997, Bush refused to take a stand against an effort to ban gays and lesbians in Texas from becoming foster parents.

Salon News A Salon-eye view of the day's news, with investigative reports, analysis and interviews with newsmakers.