I am astonished by the nonsense in this thread. It seems no one actually read the article. Bush never said he hit, spanked, or was physical in any way with his daughter. In fact he said he has never spanked her and hopes he never has to and if he does it will be warranted and only be his hand. A little reading and comprehension of that reading goes a long way when you post on a blog or in a forum.
I've listened repeatedly to Bush's interview. He was clearly using the term 'discipline' synonymously with physical punishment (spanking; hitting); he alluded to using discipline with his 1-year old, qualifying it by saying "not leaving bruises or marks" and then spoke to agreement with the philosphy of using "harsh discipline" when circumstances warranted it. He was speaking the whole time in reference to his 1-year old daughter.
I would be very happy not to hear any more about Bush, Rice, Hardy, Peterson, or the NFL. I would love it this evolved into a universal discussion about effective alternatives to using hitting for discipline and about how to end domestic violence. These things also happen outside of the NFL, believe it or not. Much hitting occurs because we haven't been taught other ways to deal with the frustrating behavior of our children (or with frustration in general).
It is also an absolute mistake to discount the role of family/neighborhood culture in the use of corporal punishment. I am guessing that the physical interventions that Peterson was raised on had their origin in preparing children to deal with a dangerous world. Guys like me who grew in safe, suburban neighborhoods have minimal context for what it's like growing up in truly dangerous areas. Even though I think that corporal punishment is not the answer, and likely increases rather than decreases a culture of violence, I think we need to be cognizent that this type of 'discipline' is rooted in culture and we won't change anything without acknowledging this. Can't just say "it's wrong because it's wrong"; we have to have some acceptance that harsh discipline is a taught cultural value and it is difficult for people to let go of it without being validated for its origins and shown that there are more effective ways to address misbehavior.