scalito (i hope) and miers

That's a nickname anyone should be proud to have. It's nice to see Bush step up to the plate after that unexplainable Miers blunder. What a freakish pick...I mean, she was so far from a sound choice that one is left to ponder what could have caused so much absurdity. So ponder we shall.

Perhaps the Bushites planned for things to go this way. Maybe as a distractor? Maybe to make us conservatives think he's listening to us and adjusting his actions when we make ourselves heard? Who knows. But there are several reasons he could have wanted things to happen as they did even if he had to burn some short-term political capital in the process. Politically he has emerged stronger than he was before I think, having not only chosen two nominees who give the appearance of trustworthy constitutionalists but also rallied his conservative base and tricked many leftard groups into using some of their arsenal on a decoy. Most importantly, he finally has a fight he knows he can beat the Democraps in after a rough few months.

Or maybe Dubya actually picked Miers in earnest, fully intending for her to be the next Supreme Court justice. We all know Bush is a politician and a cronies-only kinda guy. He's been proven to rely far too much on those he knows and trusts, a la Brownie, which isn't so bad as long as the buddies are capable of doing the jobs he assigns them to. Unfortunately that often hasn't been the case and he's rightfully suffering for it.

To break it down, I see three possibilities here: (1) Bush actually intended for Miers to be his first choice and his plan fell apart, (2) Bush didn't intend for Miers to get to the Court and used her as part of a ploy of some sort, in which case the events were at least somewhat planned, or (3) Bush is just a clumsy buffoon who botched the pick so badly he didn't know what to expect and was basically flying by the seat of his pants until Miers rescued him by dropping out. I'm inclined to think it's (2) but all three are plenty believeable. Tough call.

On to Alito. This guy sure looks solid to me, even better than Roberts. He drew a strong negative reaction from the usual suspects and that's generally a good litmus test to trust in I think. He's a well-known conservative with a long track record of sound legal decisions. He's young enough to have a lasting impact on the Court. He has the soft-spoken, big-stick personality that a good justice ought to have to keep the Court as fair as possible. And best of all, he's a constitutionalist who's willing to go against his personal beliefs in order to uphold an existing law or principle. That's solid stuff.

One thing that particularly impresses me is his record on abortion. Yeah, that's an overhyped issue that all sides like to focus on and base litmus tests on for some stupid reason, but he's shows some real principle here. He went against the abhorrent Casey decision* and yet later sided with the majority to strike down a partial-birth abortion ban on constitutional grounds. Like it or not that's what a judge who truly values the written law of the land ought to do. This proves he can have opinions on an issue and still be a fair and law-abiding judge. Such is invaluable at any level of the judiciary and especially on the Court.

I can't wait until things really get going on this one. Republicans and conservatives are lining up to beat down a Democrapic insurrection, so I dearly hope the Dems try their luck and suffer the political consequences. When even the mild-mannered Frist isn't mincing threats, you know it's on. Reid? Schumer? Billary? Step up and get yours, whinebags. You've had it coming for so long so don't go soft and back down now. Take your medicine and like it.

Enough hot air, let's get this party started!

*If fathers don't even have to be notified before their child is killed, the obvious implication is that they bear no rights or responsibilities with respect to the child. So forced child support should be illegal by extension. It's ridiculous that so many people can ignore such an obvious logical fallacy in our laws. Hey, whatever feels right in each case I guess. What a bunch of bullbleep.