Courting Trouble

No, I haven't blogged much about the coming Supreme Court nomination. Why waste ammunition when we're getting ready for war? Hey, that's what Chuckles Schumer thinks...

Senate Judiciary Committee member Chuck Schumer got busy plotting away on the cellphone aboard a Washington, DC-New York Amtrak -- plotting Democrat strategy for the upcoming Supreme Court battle.

Schumer promised a fight over whoever the President’s nominee was: “It's not about an individual judge… It's about how it affects the overall makeup of the court.”

The chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was overheard on a long cellphone conversation with an unknown political ally, and the DRUDGE REPORT was there!

Schumer proudly declared: “We are contemplating how we are going to go to war over this.”

Well, the left is certainly prepping for war, as Byron York noted. This would all be pretty humorous, IF WE WEREN'T FIGHTING AN ACTUAL WAR ALREADY, WITH AMERICAN TROOPS IN HARMS' WAY.

Yes, both sides are guilty of rhetorical overkill, although I'd argue the Democrats seem far more willing to engage in apocalyptic rhetoric than the GOP. Look, I know plenty of folks are getting ready to spend cash and dish vitriol at one another over Bush's upcoming choice. Heck, I'm already upset that Alberto Gonzales is the current favorite, with President Bush defending his "friend" (as Jonah Goldberg noted, I guess John Ashcroft wasn't the President's pal, since the former AG got far more crap than Gonzales ever does). I think Gonzales would be a mistake on any number of fronts (he'd need to recuse himself from a number of upcoming cases due to his current post as Attorney General), but Tradesports has him leading the way right now, with Judge Emilio Garza of the 5th Circuit as the second choice who's no longer a darkhorse. My pick, Judge Luttig from the 4th Circuit, is the third choice but may be a better bet to replace Chief Justice Rehnquist when he departs in the near future.

Bush can and will be stubborn, and if he wants Gonzales, he may well push for him. But I'd guess that the choice is not yet certain, and the White House has to be worried about the howling from the right that will ensue if the AG gets upped to the Supreme Court. For that reason alone, I'd keep an eye on the women Justices, particularly Judge Edith Brown Clement on the 5th Circuit.

Then again, maybe it's a good idea to try nominating Ann Coulter. The confirmation hearings alone would be worth it.