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05 July 2005

Sandy, Sandy, Sandy, I can't let you go. Life is crazy, Sandy, baby

Last November, whenever I talked to someone who was undecided on the election (few as there were) and he/she asked me what crucial difference had me voting for John Kerry, I consistently answed with two words: Supreme Court. Positions on terrorism, Iraq, the economy, and the environment, aside, the SCOTUS vacancies expected in the next four years would shape this country for decades to come, and in ways that would directly affect the daily life of its citizens. High court appointees not being the most intuitive of x-factors, my suddenly gravely serious insistances were most often met with, "You really think so?"
Now, nine months later, like some jurisprudential Rosemary's Baby, what should emerge from the womb of our constitutional legal system? Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement in advance of the (even more) expected departures of William Rehnquist (b. 1924) and John Paul Stevens (b. 1920).
This could make the John Bolton nomination look like a garden party.
Said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) while making the rounds of the morning shows, "The president is going to choose a conservative," but added, "I don't think he's going to choose a right-wing conservative."
And you don't think that...why, Senator?
"Moderation" and "compromise" have hardly been hallmarks of this administration. The axiom of "My way or the highway," on the other hand, has. One need only look so far as the aforementioned Bolton debacle, where, rather than risk the impression of "giving in" to his opponents' requests, the president steadfastly refuses to provide information even though to do so would, in all likelihood, get him the up-or-down vote he demands. Beyond that, we saw our Uniter-Not-Divider-in Chief use his re-election, not to broaden the cooperation that got 95% of his judicial nominees approved, but to drive the Senate to the brink of implosion by ramming through the handful that lacked that support.
For all of our sakes, I hope Sen. Hatch is right is his assessment of the situation, but there's definitely an ill-wind blowing when we're already seeing things like this emanating from the radical Christians who make up the president's base:
"Although we applaud her decision to step down and care for her ailing husband, her 'swing-vote' status on the Supreme Court over the issues of abortion and homosexual rights wrought more havoc upon our nation than our foreign enemies ever have." --Rev. Benham of Operation Save America
Yep, another fundy calling judges a greater danger than terrorists.

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