Reply #4: Bush went to far, created this lawsuit [View All]

[Ramsey]

On NPR this morning, the legal correspondent discussed this case. She said that for years the universities and the military had a cooperative agreement. Universities with non-discrimination policies allowed military recruiting to take place off campus, and the military apparently was satisfied with this. In that arrangement, the universities did not have to make exceptions to their non-discrimination policies, and the military could still contact interested recruits.

When Bush came in, his administration reinterpreted the statute as permitting the federal government to withhold all federal funds from the entire university unless the military recruiters could set up their booths or offices alongside all the other recruiters. This is precisely what the universities policies forbade, recruitment by companies that discriminate against any segment of their student body (law schools having been the first to establish such policies).

When the Bush administration started to threaten to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars from universities, they had to decide between their principles and their pocketbook, and that's when this suit was filed.

If Bush had just left well enough alone, his military could still recruit. Apparently he just has to be the big bully getting his way all the way all the time. Except once again, the courts have shot down his megalomaniacal over-reaching plans.