Posted on 07/20/2005 3:09:37 PM PDT by wagglebee
President Bush had just sat down for lunch with Australia's prime minister when he had to step away to make the telephone call that would end his search for a Supreme Court justice.
Returning to the table, Bush told John Howard, "I just offered the job to a great, smart 50-year-old lawyer who has agreed to serve on the bench." Thus it was that the prime minister, his wife, Janette, and Laura Bush were the first beyond a small circle of White House advisers to learn the president had decided on his candidate - appeals court judge John G. Roberts. Bush's advisers had been planning for an opening on the Supreme Court since he came to office four and a half years ago, and the president got personally involved after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement on July 1. Four days later, he took a notebook that described 11 candidates on the long plane ride to Europe for a summit of the leaders of eight of the world's leading industrial nations.
He met last Friday with Roberts, who impressed the president with the story of his rise to prominence from an upbringing in a small town outside Gary, Ind., according to White House counselor Dan Bartlett.
"He likes to size people up himself, make his own judgment," Bartlett said. "And what he wanted to do is make sure the person matched the resume."
Roberts had the conservative credentials to be Bush's nominee - he said he had argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court in a career as a private attorney and government lawyer and has been serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for two and a half years.
But Bush also liked his story. Roberts rose to prominence from Long Beach, Ind., where he worked summers in the same steel mill where his father was an electrical engineer and served as high school class president and captain of the football team. After graduating with honors from Harvard - both in undergraduate and law school - he clerked for William H. Rehnquist when he was an associate justice on the Supreme Court.
From his original list of 11 names, Bush chose five people he didn't know very well for private meetings at the White House last Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Roberts' hour-long interview was Friday in the sitting area of the executive residence, with Bush's two Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, at their feet. Bush asked him about his professional experience and personal questions, too, about his family and upbringing, then gave him a tour of his private quarters in the White House.
Bartlett said Roberts was in London teaching an international trade class, and he flew back and forth to Washington for the interviews but went ahead and canceled his class Tuesday for the announcement of his nomination.
After extensive consultation with White House Chief of Staff Andy Card and other advisers over the weekend, Bush decided Monday night that Roberts was his choice.
Bartlett said out of fairness he wouldn't discuss who else Bush had interviewed or considered, although he said the list included women and minorities that reflected the diversity of America. But he said in the end Bush decided Roberts was the most qualified and was the only candidate the president offered the job to.
Bush discussed his decision with Vice President Dick Cheney and other advisers Tuesday morning. He called Roberts about 12:35 p.m. to ask him if he would accept and to invite him and his family to a private dinner that evening at the White House scheduled two hours before they appeared together live on television to make the announcement.
"I reviewed the credentials of many well-qualified men and women. I met personally with a number of potential nominees," Bush said as he told Americans of his choice in a prime-time address. "In my meetings with Judge Roberts, I have been deeply impressed. He's a man of extraordinary accomplishment and ability. He has a good heart."
How many microseconds after Congress was informed did the media also know? At some point I'd like GWB to call them on this and say the courtesy will no longer be extended if they don't learn how to keep their yaps shut.
LOL!!! I would say that was for good reason. I did hear today that Senator Frist was part of a small group that knew what was going on with the nomination.
VP Cheney was hilarious when he was talking about how the secret was kept -- not easy to do in that fishbowl!
"I think the Dems controlled the Senate both times. The pubs control it now. It won't die in committee...it'll have to be filibustered. If they don't, I'll never vote dem again."
" How much more right can we possibly get. Honestly canada is looking better all the time"
"Bush is just trying to distract the country from Rovegate. It won't work."
These people are beside themselves.
This was reported yesterday afternoon on CNN (that Bush offered to Roberts by phone @ 12:35 PM EST) - it puts to lie all the foolish absurdities posted here last night about how the idiots who were bashing Bush all of yesterday were "helping" because (as they put it) if they hadn't have offered all of their antagonistic criticism Bush would have never made the move come end of day (they really believed they were influencing the process! ROFLMAO)
GASP... You mean Pres. Bush was actually THOUGHTFUL in picking a nominee? Better not tell the DUmmies...:-)
I heard Bush got up during lunch just to stiff John Howard with the check. Bush saw the waitress coming and then excused himself. Rove told him to do it.
/a joke, just a joke
This is really interesting. All the sudden Bush gets up right after he sits to lunch with the PM of Aus. and decides on who is going to be interpreting the constitution for the next 30 to 40 years?
Why then, nobody would have ever of guess that what he was going to do. No announcement, no nothing, just went and did right then.
I am so thankful to the great and mighty God, YHWH, YESHUA, Bush in my President!
Seems all the fuss yesterday afternoon was nothing more than elevate noise by the harbingers of doom.
I already won a bet on that thread. HA!
Well, SOMEBODY did leak the Roberts' name couple hours before the official announcement.
ping
John Howard is perhaps the best friend America has ever had. He is a great man.
You got that right. I also see a genuine friendship between Prime Minister Howard and President Bush
If you were Bush, wouldn't you?
There are maybe only a handful that could be trusted in the Senate to keep a secret, and still there is no guarentee they wouldn't slip up.
Well, today they are all hanging around that Ann Coulter article, convinced that they are right and that Roberts is just like David Souter.
If I am not mistaken, Roberts was Frist's counsel so he would obviously be informed early about the final choice.
One woman out of hundreds of pedigreed conservative approvals, and they think it means something. They are desperate to prove Bush isn't a man of his word, and that they were right. It's as pathetic as the Libs wishing defeat for the country just so they can say "I told you so".
Coulter is not on my list of people I frequent for opinion. She and I are on decidely different ends of the Court concerning Rove & the election, no surprise we're on different sides here.
First, I rely on my instincts. I was uneasy about Clement and wanted to know how she felt about established precedent. The minute I heard Roberts name I was at peace. I trust what my gut tells me.
Second, if I must apply for opinion Levin, Sekelow, Olsen, Rehnquist, Scalia and so forth trump Coulter in spades.
I would place more faith in Howard than Blair any day.
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