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The court apparently ruled just the way the Bush administration wanted it to. While Bush talked tough on racial preferences, the brief filed by the Justice Dept. advocated that the 1978 Bakke decision - that "diversity" was a compelling state interest that justified using race as a factor - be upheld, while at the same time stating that overt quota and preference systems (like the undergrad admissions policy) should be rejected.

This issue will continue to be litigated until the nation either repents and comes to its senses or we split into another civil war. The decision today was really a form of continuing with the status quo. In terms of practical effect, the myriad forms of discrimination against asians and whites will continue in both the academic and corporate worlds. The entire corporate and legal infrastructure of the country has been set up to uphold the racial spoils system in place. The court was simply afraid to take on the multi-billion dollar diversity industry with the large number of civil rights lawyers and consultants who are busy making a living off the whole issue. Maybe things would change if a true conservative majority were appointed to the court. However, with an overall record of waffling and moral failure, it would be unrealistic to expect the Bush administration to appoint anyone of the caliber of Scalia or Thomas. I hope I'm wrong about that, but Bush has been a profoud disappointment. The only thing one can say is that he is marginally better than Gore.