Interesting Options for Bush to Replace O'Connor

Tolling the internet has brought out some interesting links. Here are two:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2122079/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051027/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_who_next

The first from Slate shows some unusual choices save one, Maureen Mahoney. She is a very bright lawyer and litigator. A university of Michigan article says it may have seemed unusual to pick her to represent them in an affirmative action case.

Mahoney says. "I'm a Republican, and there's a common misconception that all Republicans oppose affirmative action," she says. "I care deeply about this case."

In addition to her work on 12 cases, she is familiar with the workings of the court from her time as a clerk for William Rehnquist, now the chief justice of the United States, who was an associate justice when she clerked for him

There are lots of other good candidates, but the key is who is conservative, a constructionist and one who will sail through the nomination and confirmation process.

Miers Can't Take The Heat - Thank Goodness!

President Bush received a stay of execution today with the withdrawal of Harriet Miers from contention for the Supreme Court, replacing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. President Bush looks currently like someone who is in the ring with Mike Tyson. He might be able to Buster Douglas his detractors but there are a lot of folks out there barking protests and criticisms of him.

Faced with potential indictments from the trumped up Grand Jury investigating the leak of CIA employee Valerie Plame(notice I did not say operative because she was never covert), the ususal tripe from the far left, high gas prices and an appearance of impropriety because of the President's former ties to oil, and Iraq reaching the 2,000 death mark - but it is all noise.

Harriet Miers, however was different. She was hand picked by President Bush to sit on the court. It was obvious from the beginning she was not qualified. Laura Ingram is more qualified than she. Her writings were not scholarly nor grammatically correct. It was purely an appointment out of convenience and comfprt for the President. He knew her, liked her, respected her ability as an attorney and her religious views, BUT she was not qualified for the court.

It is a blessing that she has withdrawn her name from contention. If she had faced the Senate hearings, her testimony juxtaposed with Judge Robert's would have been comical at best and depressing at worst.

I hope now President Bush looks to a pool of really qualified candidates like J. Michael Luttig, Priscilla Owen,or even Larry Thompson, who was the government's highest-ranking black law enforcement official as deputy attorney general during Bush's first term. A constructionist is important for the future of this country.

Lou Dobbs and CNN

I have been traveling a fair bit recently and due to some untimely delays, I was trapped in the airport. For about four hours I was forced to watch the Lou Dobbs show on CNN. The first question I ask is "Is Lou Dobbs a Journalist or a commentator?" and second "Who allows this show to remain on the air?"

CNN's ratings continue to decline steadily. They have mixed up their anchors and have let good folks leave like Bill Hemmer who is now on Fox. The placement of Lou Dobbs for multiple hours is almost like torture.

In the four hours I saw, he aggressively attacked Congress, Bush, The White House, American Policy, Big Business, you name it. Every story had a snide comment. In his analysis of a Sean Calebs story about affordable college tuition, he said "... again this government attacks the middle class and does not stop public institutions from raising tuition. There has been no Katrina, no crisis, yet tuition has risen steadily year after year

When Calebs said that the Administration was not looking the other way, rather that Education Secretary Spellings was mounting a commission to look into the affordability of college, Dobbs said in an aside, "Oh great, another commission! That is getting something done. Secretary look at the tuition hikes for no reason and you will see no middle class families being able to afford college. That Ms secretary you get for no charge."

When discussing an issue over the war on terror, Dobbs characterized it like Vietnam. The Rove/Libby scandal like Watergate.

It is amazing. In my experience and when I was in college, I learned that this is not Journalism, this is propaganda and commentary. I thought we got rid of this when Rather retired.

When Does Free Speech End?

I am a self described conservative-libertarian. I believe that we should be allowed to do in our homes what we want, but not to effect (or affect) others with our actions. The ACLU has fought this point of view since its founding in 1919 but have pushed the pedal to the medal since 1990 or so.

In Washington State, the ACLU is supporting a former Green Party candidate who LIED in a campaign ad about her Democratic opponent. She said he had voted to close a center for the handicapped. It never happened. When he called her on it, she said it was her Constitutional right to lie. That the First Amendment allowed her to LIE without repercussion. What? The amazing thing is the Liberal Washington State Supreme Court apparently agrees with her. They have ruled that she is protected in her lie and all future elections will be judged by her example. If wading throughout he crap come election time was not tough enough! The AG for Washington State is appealing.

The ACLU continued with their support of an Oregon woman who had an offensive shirt on during a flight on Southwest Airlines. Fellow passengers complained and she was asked by the flight attendants to change. She balked. The ACLU claims it is her right to free expression. What about the rights of the passengers who paid to be on the flight as well? What about community standards protected by Law? An airplane full of people could be construed as a community.

Lastly, the Oregon Supreme Court is ruling this week on a case debating the legality of live sex shows. Now not strippers and dancers - live SEX on stage. You know, what you do at home with the lights off, they are doing on stage. The ACLU says it is perfectly fine and a matter of free expression. A girl participant in the sex act in the case was underage. She was cited as was the proprietor of the sex shop. The ACLU says no age of consent is legal.

Now juxtapose this: The ACLU wants to put in jail anyone of authority (teacher, principal, lawmaker) who allows prayer in public because it violates, in their opinion, others rights. So much for following the letter of the law and supporting all special interest groups. The ACLU would rather support the North American Man-Boy Love Association than the local church.

A lot has changed in society since the Constitution's ratification in 1787 and not for the better in my opinion.

Miers the Iceberg for the Bush Titanic?

I have been busy and have held out of the Miers debate, but come on. This is a crony appointment if there ever was one. I am not sure if she is even qualified for her White House council position let alone a Supreme Court seat. Ann Coulter and Laura Ingram are more qualified than she is.

The biggest trouble comes from a story out today that 27 GOP Senators are withholding any support for Mier until after the initial hearings. Two Bush lemmings even say they have doubts

Sen. Sam Brownback, Kansas Republican and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said last week that he is perfectly willing to vote against the nomination if he is not convinced that she will be reliably conservative on the high court. That view has been echoed by his fellow committee member Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican.

That from AP.

It will be interesting to see what happens because there is at least one additional SC seat up for grabs in Bush's final term. I wonder who will get it, Now back to Hillary vs. Condi.