President Bush, who attended Yale University as a third-generation legacy student, said Friday that colleges should abandon admission practices that give special treatment to sons and daughters of alumni at the expense of other qualified or diverse applicants. "I think it ought to be based on merit," Bush said, speaking to a conference of minority journalists who pressed him about his views on affirmative action. "And I think colleges need to work hard for diversity." Despite a less-than-flattering academic record, the president followed in the footsteps of his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and his grandfather, the late Sen. Prescott Bush, in receiving degrees at Yale. His daughter, Barbara, graduated from Yale in May. When asked if colleges and universities should abolish the practice, Bush said, "Well, I think so, yes." The president said he opposed quota systems in college admissions but added, "I support colleges affirmatively taking action to get more minorities in their school." As for legacy admissions, Bush said there should not be "a special exception for certain people in a system that's supposed to be fair." ...