Posted on 10/10/2005 12:37:54 PM PDT by Checkers
I have not heard anyone else say this yet, so I may be the Lone Ranger on this one, but all the references to Michael Luttig over the past week got me to wondering if the frequent mentions might result in some unintended consequences. I have probably heard Luttig’s name mentioned a hundred times or more in relation to the Miers nomination. All the references had to do with the fact that Miers was chosen while the more qualified and deserving Luttig was passed over. Those mentioning Luttig all did so in the most complimentary ways, praising his intellect and his record, but I wonder if they unintentionally did him a huge disservice.
Could it be that by mentioning Luttig over and over again as the perfect pick, that those promoting him made a Luttig nomination less likely than ever? By the middle of last week I was convinced that if the Miers nomination went south, one person who definitely would NOT be chosen to replace her was Luttig. By the end of last week I became convinced that even if another seat opened on the court in Bush’s term, that he would not likely be nominated. For President Bush to nominate him now would make Bush appear to be taking specific orders from a group of conservative leaders and pundits, since so many of them have cited Luttig as their preferred choice. By Sunday night I even doubted that any future Republican President would nominate Luttig because the name is fast becoming synonymous with the choice of conservative activists, which might make him a huge target for Democrats and Democratic activists.
I realize that those who promoted Michael Luttig as the perfect choice for Supreme Court justice meant well, but I wonder if they have made it almost impossible for him to ever be nominated.
"I realize that those who promoted Michael Luttig as the perfect choice for Supreme Court justice meant well, but I wonder if they have made it almost impossible for him to ever be nominated."
Oh my, I must go and wring my hands now!
The only thing I wonder about is we, the people, thinking we have any input into selecting judges, period.
I suspect part of the White House's political strategy is to put forth SC nominations that are not red meat for activist conservatives. But, then, that seems to be the problem with the tact the White House is taking -- they want to avoid a fight, a real in-their-face challenge to the leftist perspective on the role of the courts. If they really wanted to crush the liberal view of the court, they'd put up someone like Luttig and let him or her slap the leftists around with their support of legislating from the bench. Frankly, I'd love to see this kind of hard-hitting debate go on, even if it meant that the nomination turned out to be a suicide run. Someone needs to be leading a high profile debate about the role of the courts in our society, but so far Bush has shied away from that debate.
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