Florida Gov. Jeb Bush asked a state prosecutor on Friday to investigate the circumstances of Terri Schiavo’s collapse, saying a new autopsy report revealed a possible gap between when Ms. Schiavo fell unconscious and when her husband called paramedics.

“It’s a significant question that during this entire ordeal was never brought up,” Governor Bush told reporters in Tallahassee after faxing a letter to Bernie McCabe, the state attorney in Pinellas County, where Ms. Schiavo suffered extreme brain damage when her heart temporarily stopped beating in 1990. McCabe, who agreed to open the investigation, is a republican that will surley expect a promotion for this deed.

In a statement on Friday, Ms. Schiavo’s husband, Michael, called Governor Bush’s actions “sickening” and said he had called 911 promptly. Mr. Schiavo said in an interview with CNN’s Larry King in 2003 that he found his wife on the floor outside their bedroom about 4:30 a.m. and quickly called 911.

This is nothing but a circus side show designed to divert attention away from the real issue of the day - the inevitable impeachment of his brother, President Bush. The more coverage Shiavo gets, the less coverage the Downing Street Memo gets. Simple, but unfortunately, effective.