From the NY Times:

Mr. Bush lifted off in his Marine One helicopter from his 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford under warm, sunny skies shortly before noon on Sunday. Minutes later he landed in nearby Waco, where he boarded Air Force One wearing a suit and a tie. His manner was crisp and businesslike, and he did not smile as he usually does at onlookers and the small group of reporters who accompany him.

It was the first time this president had interrupted a vacation to return to Washington…

Why was the U.S. President returning to Washington in such a hurry? To sign a bill forcing a feeding tube down the throat of a woman who had previously expressed a decision not to be kept alive should she ever be left in the persistent vegetative state in which she has continued the past 15 years. The same kind of decision to end artificial feeding is made by caring families in America all the time. Still, this particular case was important enough for Bush to shorten his rest.

It’s the culture of life.

more from today’s Times:

White House officials insisted that politics played no part in the president’s decision, even though Republican senators were provided with talking points, apparently by Republican aides, that characterized the Schiavo case as “a great political issue” that resonates with Christian conservatives.