[iconoclast]

OK, I'll try one more time.

The supreme court is like a baseball team in the respect that there are NINE members.

One of the ballplayers is the Captain (think Chief Justice).

Now, if four players quit the team (and one of those happens to be the captain) then you're left with four replacements to be made. During the process of bringing the team up to full strength (NINE) the Manager (President) names one of his NINE players the new "captain". The "captain" may be one of the original nine or one of the FOUR new players. Either way, there's no way to slip a tenth player onto the field.

Please stay off the appropriations committee, Congressman! ;-)

[Congressman Billybob]

What are you, dumb and blind?

For the third time, the Chief Justice is separately appointed and separately confirmed, from the position of Associate Justice. So, exactly as I said, IF Scalia is named to replace Rehnquist, Bush will make five appointments.

One of those will be Scalia moving to Chief Justice, which does not, of course, change the number of Justices on the Court. Got it now? If not, I give up.

John / Billybob