It is a plan that some here in Florida trumpet as a fair and sound solution to an often divisive issue, but one others view as just the latest attack on affirmative action. Some also see it as an attempt to smooth the state's political waters during an election season in which Bush's brother is campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.
Some states have similar programs.
California has a 4 percent program, and Texas admits the top 10 percent. Other states are considering such programs as a fairer way to diversify schools. Bush said the plan would increase the number of black students in state universities, though he was not specific about how much of an increase could be expected. As news of Bush's plan spread, officials from several states called to ask about the proposal, said Lucia Ross, his press secretary. In the letting of state contracts, an aspect of the proposal that has not generated the same emotional response, Bush's plan eliminates racial set-asides.