Robert Novak today speculated that
"Conservatives who have spent more than a decade planning for this moment to change the balance of power on the Supreme Court are reeling from blows delivered by two dissimilar political leaders: Edward M. Kennedy and George W. Bush. Sen. Kennedy has succeeded with the news media in establishing a new standard of 'mainstream conservatism' for a justice. President Bush has put forth ''friendship'' as a qualification for being named to the high court.
In the same article, he writes
Who knows how all this will play out? Will it help moderate POTUS's choices? Will he buckle on Gonzales? Will he select an old centrist and a young redneck?"Adding to the tension is word from court sources that ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist also will announce his retirement before the week is over. That would enable Bush to play this game: Name one justice no less conservative than Rehnquist, and name Gonzales, whose past record suggests he would replicate retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on abortion and possibly other social issues. Thus, the present ideological orientation of the court would be unchanged, which would suit the left just fine."
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2 comments:
Why couldn't O'Connor and Rhenquist hang on a couple more years? Sheesh.
They are handing the court over to Bush.
Unfortunately, they both have pretty compelling physical reasons (his cancer, her husband suffering from Alzheimer's). Still, between the public statements of some republicans like Sen. Specter and the usual Demo sabre rattling, not to mention POTUS's declining approval numbers, we may end up with at least one centrist justice. Or maybe that is all wishful thinking and they will take the scorched earth approach.
Certainly Rove being in hot water doesn't help the President's position at all. He will be taking hits from the back, from the front and from his flanks! Again...I hope. . .
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