In that case it will prove important how she cries. Will she cry "Pres. Bush please change your nominee to someone who can be confirmed by Rats and RINOs" or will she cry "Give the appointee an up or down vote, the constitution only requires a majority for this." The two cries would be reported very differently and I'm afraid her tears will fall the first way so she can enjoy reading about herself in the W. Compost.
I don't know about Sowell's health, but historically the Supremes can last a long time in the saddle. Certainly many here had hoped Stevens wouldn't still be on the court at 86. I hope Sowell stays active and influential, in whatever remains his chosen field, as long as his former professor Milton Friedman.
Appointing Sowell is probably nothing more than a dream, but what a dream! "Mr. Sowell Goes To Washington." A big shootout between the MSM types and all us little freepers, bloggers, radio hosts, etc. in the alternative media. The blacks finally realizing we're claiming the smartest man in the country (he's had my vote for a long time) is one of them and deciding they want him on the court too. The black caucus falling silent on the issue. The RINOs with their moist fingers in the wind coming around to our side. The liberals going down in flames trying to win even a single point against him.
I would seriously doubt that she would say anything at all publicly about it. i just think that the first nominee will be conservative, and that the Democrats will filibuster because McCain assured that they're not afraid of the nuclear option. And that will drag on into the next term of the court, with no vote. Bush will not pick Estrada, exactly because Estrada pulled out (understandably) once before rather than having his law practice in limbo during the filibuster.And it will just drag on and on like that. Since O'Connor will still be on the court until her successor's confirmation, it will be business as usual on the court, just a bunch of hate and discontent in the Senate. But the Senate won't have to spend all its time on the nomination, because O'Connor will still be on the bench. So it won't, and things will just drag on. Knowing this is coming, Bush will name someone who will hang tough, and he will hang tough. And so will "objective journalism" and the rest of the Democrats.
All the O'Connor "resignation" will do is cause turmoil. A fitting end to the career of a justice who got the positon Reagan should have given Thomas Sowell. If she says anything about it, Bush can just say, "I nominated a good Justice, the Senate just won't vote." This drags on well into the '06 election season, and becomes an issue in the Senate races. In South Carolina I suspect it will be the death knell of Lindsey Graham's political career; he may be replaced by a worse Democrat, but he probably will be replaced.