My pal Tim hears from a source that Priscilla Owen has withdrawn her name from the Supreme Court list.
He notes:
With Owen out, conservatives have lost one of the better women on the short list.
Cue a picture of Alberto Gonzales and the “Jaws” theme music.
Update: Erick of Red State says the afternoon buzz has been about Maura Corrigan (Michigan Supreme Court) and Alito (Third Court of Appeals).
Alito’s nicknamed “Scalito” for his resemblance to Antonin Scalia in philosophy, so that warms my heart and freezes the blood in the veins of lefties everywhere. The nickname alone makes him a hard political pick, but it’s gonna be a knock-down-drag-out no matter who Bush picks.
I know very little about Corrigan.
Quin Hillyer vouches for Larry Thompson, here, but I imagine he makes many millions working for Pepsi-Co. I wouldn’t leave that gig for the Supreme Court spot, but then the only thing that qualifies me for the slot by the Bush admin’s standards is that I’m a woman, so I can say with a fair amount of confidence that I don’t have to worry about it.
Update 2: Confirm Them offers a tribute to Owen.
AP suggests Bush may have made up his mind.
Hmmmm.
Frankly I’ve been expecting Gonzales to be nominated all along. I think neither Bush nor the GOP really give a damn what conservatives want.
RE: ed’s conservatism (September 30, 2005 02:31 PM)
I agree. Those Bush poll numbers are dwindling not because of a some novel Democratic accomplishments and ideas but because of Bush’s leftward shift from conservative base. Were it not for the WoT and his reduction of taxes, I’d find few reasons to support this administration at the moment.
I have little faith that a Scalia clone will be advanced, more faith that this administration lacks the spine to wage that battle, and a sound belief that it will look for another O’Conner. The Rovian GOP seems to enjoy giving ground here.
Hmmmm.
sigh. It really sucks being a conservative at times. The Democrats hate you. The Republicans think you’re a cash cow that can be milked at will and then ignored. The MSM protrays you as racist ideologues that hate minorities. You fight and battle for decades to get a Republican majority, and then they either piss it away, or they start acting like Democrats.
Frankly I simply don’t see the point of voting for Republicans anymore. And I’m really sorry about this, but I’m am still not convinced that Roberts is a conservative. It really bothers me that he has never once done any pro bono work for a conservative cause, and yet he has repeatedly done so for liberal groups.
That makes the skin between my shoulderblades itch.
Hmmmm.
I suppose it’s like this:
If you wanted to be on the Supreme Court, what would you have to do to get there?
1. Work for Republican politicians, but when asked reply that you were doing your client’s bidding and that you weren’t arguing your own point of view.
2. Clerk for a Supreme Court justice, preferably a conservative one.
3. Pretend you’re a conservative, but not too conservative.
4. Don’t have a paper trail.
That describes Roberts. If Gonzales had followed this pattern, he’d probably be the first or next candidate. Yet nothing shows me conclusively that Roberts is a conservative and not just someone who is pretending in order to get on the Supreme Court.
Wouldn’t it be a real kick in the ass if it turns out he’s actually a liberal in disguise.
RE: ed’s cynicism (September 30, 2005 03:06 PM)
As before, I share the same concerns. My hope is that Roberts was playing sophisticated coy for the camera. I thought he performed brilliantly during the hearings and seems overwhelmingly qualified for the job despite not knowing his true identity. I’d still have preferred Scalia as Chief but understand why Bush approached things as he did. Certainly a risk as far as ideologies and court temperament goes. The one consolation, if he means what he says, is Roberts’ position of looking domestically and not internationally for the foundation of law, i.e. there’s a hint of strict Constitutionalism in there somewhere.
Wouldn’t it be a real kick in the ass if it turns out he’s actually a liberal in disguise.
Yes, it would. The Republicans should be feeling a bit sore in the seat already.
Gonzales will NEVER pass the Senate and I strongly doubt he will be nominated because of that. Neither would have Owens, had she been.
Bush is no dummy about this and knows the objective is getting another Justice actually INTO the S.C., so…I am thinking it will be a female he’ll nominate (I have issues with these gender preferential decisions but it seems that many don’t and the “nominate a woman” demands are high). Harriet Miers would be great, if nominated, but given her age (60+), it’s probably more prudent to nominate a younger person (I agree with that strategy).
One of those cases where we just have to wait and see who he nominates and then contend with the strange and primitive Democrats in the Senate.
ed, I’m no Democrat and I am a conservative and I do not think Gonzales should be on the Supreme Court. In all due respect, he does not impress me as a talented conceptual thinker. A strategist, yes, but a rather contentious one, but not a theorist, conceptualist — I think he brings a certain poor temperament to the forefront and I hope that Bush doesn’t nominate him. I think it would be a waste of a nomination since as I wrote earlier, I feel very strongly that he would not be confirmed.
More obstructionism by the liberal idiots and hey someone should tell them at NOW aboutt this
The one to pick is Janice Rogers Brown.