Judge Not

As for the Supreme Court, if Harriet Miers was the "best" nominee Bush could find the first time around, what does that make Alito?  But then, it's been obvious for a long time that Bush is all about image and nothing about substance, so anything he says is better taken for its INtent rather than its CONtent.

An old school-mate hopes the "the Dems don't pitch a big hissy fit" and get partisan over Alito.  I told her, y'all just better get over it.  It's ALL partisan, now, thanks to the One True Party (for those without a Playbill, that would be the Republicans).  The right wing nuts, in their defeat of Miers,  established both a litmus test (abortion) and that an up or down vote is not necessary after all. 

The Republicans torpedoed 62 Clinton judicial appointments, not even allowing them to come to a vote.  For any Republican to complain now about Democrats using any means to oppose a Bush nominee is the height of hypocrisy.

As far as I am concerned, Sandra Day O'Conner can have her retirement delayed ad infinitum if it keeps Bush from appointing someone who has been tagged "scAlito" for his reputed similarity to you-know-who. 

He may be worse than Scalia and Thomas.  At least they are unpleasant people, from what I read, in addition to having extreme right wing activist interpretations of the Constitution.  scAlito may be an extreme right-wing activist with a smile and powers of persuasion.

Keep in mind that although the One True Party holds a voting majority in the Senate, many of them represent small states.  In total they represent fewer citizens than the Democrats and Independent senators, and, counting the votes, the Republicans were elected by fewer voters than the aggregate vote total for the opposition.  Any argument that they represent some kind of real majority is bunk.

And because the One True Party is bent - Oh, I should just stop there - because they are bent on total power, they do not operate in a collegial manner.  Bill Frist's hissy fit the other night about Harry Reid invoking Rule 21 (look it up) was just silly.  As the saying goes, politics ain't beanbag.  It's about time the Democrats finally started using any means at their disposal to be a true opposition party.