Bill Kristol: Alberto Gonzales Eyed for Chief Justice (says would be disastrous for GOP)

Newsmax.com ^ | 7/10/05

[hispanarepublicana]

President Bush will nominate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to be chief justice of the Supreme Court after William Rehnquist joins Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and announces his retirement, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol predicted on Sunday.

"The chief justice will step down this week," Kristol, who accurately forecast last month that O'Connor would be the first to go, told "Fox News Sunday."

"The president is planning to announce two nominations for those vacancies before he leaves for Crawford at the end of the month," he predicted. "I've been told that the White House has told certain people to keep their calendars clear for July 26 and 27." Kristol said sources "close to the White House and at the Justice Department" have told him that "the president wants to nominate Attorney General Gonzales to be chief justice."

The well-connected commentator predicted that tapping a moderate like Gonzales to head the court would "demoralize" Bush's conservative base, which has waged a 30-year battle to change the ideological balance of the high court.

"I think if the president nominates Gonzales, it will be disastrous for the Republican Party," Kristol said. "It will have a bad effect on the Bush administration for the rest of its term."

He contended that a Gonzales nomination would be "the equivalent of the [1990] budget deal," when Bush's father reneged on his promise not to raise taxes.

[nonliberal]

It is so cold, Ted Kennedy had to put pants on!!

(/ba-dum-bum-CHING

[hispanarepublicana]

Thanks. That's an image I'll never get out of my head.

[Mike Darancette]

And, this one of the first times I've actually agreed with Kristol.

Seems like people will believe anyone that says Bush is doing something bad.

Last week people were quoting Chirac in suggesting Theo Bush caved on Global Warming.

[soundandvision]

I saw that this morning..I was caught off guard when Kristol projected that he thought Gonzalez would be filling O'Connor's seat *and* be made Chief Justice.

Needless to say I was take aback by this pronouncement and if Kristol has some sort of inside line at the White House and if this indeed the plan -- well... expletive, expletive and DOUBLE expletive.

First things first, we need a Constitutionalist in that seat, someone that will apply the Constitution and not make it up as he or she goes along. The problem is this --no one knows what Gonzalez will do. Souter part deux anyone?

Secondly, Clarence Thomas should be made Chief of this court. Perhaps under his control the court can be steered off of the fascist and ultimately destructive path it has been traveling down for some time. I would be fine with Scalia but I prefer Thomas.

[Uncle Vlad]

Being a Libertarian is just looking better and better all the time.

[hispanarepublicana]

I wonder of Kristol is being used to keep this test balloon afloat. Also, if KRISTOL says it's bad, doesn't that mean Gonzalez is being portrayed as slightly to the left of moderate (or being made to appear that way vis-a-vis KRISTOL'S criticism.)

[Graybeard58]

appear that way

APPEAR that way?

[hispanarepublicana]

I don't think I put that right. I mean, if the Admin figured out that Gonzalez is "unacceptable" for SCOTUS, and they're trying to convince voters that he's "less than moderate" (which I think he is), then a good way of finally making it clear would be to have Kristol call him unacceptable.

[Aetius]

I'm not to sure about that. The Senate is not as conservative as the House, and I wouldn't be surprised to see every GOP Senator towing the party line so as to not embarrass Bush and supporting Gonzales.

Imagine the field day the Dems/Left would have otherwise -- "the GOP is so anti-Hispanic that it doesn't even support its own President's attempts at inclusion and diversity"

[Texas_Jarhead]

"I thought he was associated with MeCha?"

Na, not mecha. If memory serves I believe it was a Houston based group associated with LULAC. If not LULAC then LaRaza but not mecha.

[soundandvision]

I wonder of Kristol is being used to keep this test balloon afloat. Also, if KRISTOL says it's bad, doesn't that mean Gonzalez is being portrayed as slightly to the left of moderate (or being made to appear that way vis-a-vis KRISTOL'S criticism.)

That notion occurred to me right after Kristol's comments because Juan Williams speculated just that. That it would be a master stroke for President Bush to get Gonzalez onto the court easily, with litlte hustle and bustle. He would do this by catching the rancor of the right (us) and then the left would scoot him through the process quickly just to piss us off.

There's one problem with this -- we still don't know anything about Gonzalez or how he would rule.

I know how Clarence Thomas will rule 90% of the time because I understand his philosphy -- it's largely Objectivist/Libertarian/Conservative all roled into one. To a lesser extent I can almost guess when Scalia will or won't vote a certain way. But with Gonzalez I'm afraid we would get stuck with a Kennedy or Souter.

I know the President is close to him and "knows him" well. But the President also looked in to Putin's soul (smile). I've heard over the years that Souter came recommended by John Sinunu to President Bush (41st) and of course everyone knows what happened to Sininu's career after it was clear Souter was not an originalist. Kaput.

Back to Thomas; I really hope that anyone in a place of power that is reading this will plead with the President -- there is no other man or woman around more fitting of the role of Chief Justice of our modern Supreme Court than Clarence Thoams.

[olrtex]

Let's hear your brilliant reasons for calling Judge Gonzales "pro-abort." Exactly what is it that makes him a "squishy RINO," to again use your words? Have you read any opinion Judge Gonzales wrote while he was on the Supreme Court of Texas? Can you read?

[hispanarepublicana]

I think he's "squishy" due to his "La Raza" ties, but that's just me.

[olrtex]

What are his La Raza "ties"?

Hugh Hewett said the following today (which seems worth thinking about):

"I would prefer both nominees to come from the pool of Judges Garza, Luttig, McConnell and Roberts (and Judge Jones would be fine as well.) But it is really absurd to suggest that AG Gonzales is not qualified to sit on SCOTUS, or that his nomination would be a "betrayal" of past promises. George Bush knows the AG very, very well indeed. A Bush nomination of Gonzales would be the exact opposite of a Souter nomination. And if Bush does indeed name the AG, I think the primary reason will have been the over-the-top and very public condemnations from the right of a fine public servant with an incredible life story who has been a full participant in the GWOT from its declaration on 9/11."

[FreeReign]

Kristol said sources "close to the White House and at the Justice Department" have told him that "the president wants to nominate Attorney General Gonzales to be chief justice."

So we have unnamed sources from the Justice Department brought to us by the small weenie himself, Bill Kristol? Prol'y some career wrench thrower looking for a promotion when the next Democrat president gets elected.

And, who exactly is an unnamed source who is "close to the White House". Is it some nobody standing out beyond the fence on Pennsylvania Avenue?

This is the kind of story that can never be proved wrong. When Gonzalez is not picked, it will simply be believed by those easily swayed, that Bush changed his mind because of all the pressure.

Even in some quarters here at FR.

[hispanarepublicana]

 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE NEWS RELEASE FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA BELOW:

http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/28109

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov 10, 2004

NCLR WELCOMES NOMINATION OF GONZALES TO SERVE AS ATTORNEY GENERAL

 

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today welcomed President Bush’s nomination of White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales to succeed John Ashcroft as Attorney General. If confirmed, Gonzales would be the first Hispanic ever to serve as Attorney General.

“We are very encouraged by the Gonzales nomination. We previously criticized the Bush Administration for not having an Hispanic in the cabinet since the departure of former HUD Secretary, now Senator-elect, Mel Martinez. We are pleased that one of the first acts since the President’s reelection both rectifies that situation and marks an historic milestone for the Latino community. Never before has an Hispanic served as head of one of the four major cabinet posts – Secretary of State, Treasury, Defense, and Attorney General,” stated Janet Murguia, NCLR Executive Director and COO.

Murguia also noted Gonzales’ ties to the Hispanic community throughout his career. “Alberto Gonzales served with distinction on the board of directors of one of NCLR’s oldest and most respected affiliates, the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA) in Houston, Texas. Moreover, during his tenure as White House Counsel, he has been one of the most accessible members of the White House staff to NCLR and other Hispanic organizations,” added Murguia.

Murguia concluded, “We acknowledge that this is the first step of a long confirmation process that requires that his record be fully examined. That being said, Gonzales is a thoughtful, reasonable public servant, a man of his word, and we have every expectation that his nomination will be very well received in the Latino community.”

[Carolinamom]

The Kristolball is cracked. He's working on upping his magazine sales.

[stocksthatgoup]

Who Cares What Billboy Crystal has to say?

[stocksthatgoup]

Who Cares What Billboy Kristol has to say?

[Liberty Wins]

"And if Bush does indeed name the AG, I think the primary reason will have been the over-the-top and very public condemnations from the right." .... Hugh Hewitt

What kind of reasoning is this? Is Hewitt saying Bush would nominate Gonzalez just to spite the right wing of the party?

1. Gonzalez does not have a conservative record.

2. Appointing a close friend is cronyism.