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Kristol: Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory? (Will Bush nominate a conservative?)
The Weekly Standard ^ | September 6, 2005 | William Kristol

Posted on 09/06/2005 4:14:43 PM PDT by RWR8189

WITH JOHN ROBERTS sailing toward confirmation last week, President Bush had the O'Connor seat "won." The Court was set to move one click to the right (so to speak). Then Chief Justice William Rehnquist died. The president chose to move Roberts over to fill the Rehnquist slot--thereby re-opening the vacancy created by Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement.

One understands the attraction of Roberts as chief. But with this action, in one fell swoop, the president deprived himself and his supporters of the easiest argument for his next nominee: that surely a reelected conservative president is entitled to replace a conservative justice--Rehnquist--with another conservative.

So now everything rides on Bush's nerve. Is he willing to fill the O'Connor seat with a conservative, and can he then make an effective case for that nominee to the Senate and the country? Bush will have three huge advantages in such an effort--a 55-seat GOP Senate majority, popular support for a more restrained and conservative Court, and a plethora of well-qualified conservative candidates (consider Michael Luttig, Michael McConnell, Edith Jones, Priscilla Owen, Maura Corrigan, and Miguel Estrada, for starters). And there are in fact attractive arguments to be made for each of these candidates that go beyond the generic ones and that would make prospects for confirmation good.

So there is no good reason for Bush to flinch. But he could. He may be rattled by the criticism for mishandling hurricane Katrina, and he may think it would be better to avoid too big a fight over the Court. He's always wanted to nominate his attorney general, Alberto Gonzales--he likes him, is loyal to him, and would appreciate the symbolism of putting the first Hispanic on the court. So he might be sorely tempted to do so now.

Would any of his aides have the nerve to tell him that as Supreme Court jurists go, Gonzales would be mediocre--and not a solid bet to move the court in a constitutionalist direction? Would any of them have the nerve to explain to the president that a Gonzales nomination would utterly demoralize many of his supporters, who are sticking with him and his party, through troubles in Iraq and screw-ups with Katrina, precisely because they want a few important things out of a Bush presidency--and one of these is a more conservative court? Would any of them tell the president that risking a core item in the conservative agenda for the sake of either friendship, diversity, or short-term political spin, would be substantively wrong, and politically disastrous?

Maybe. And maybe Bush doesn't need all these reminders.

But even astute presidents occasionally make big mistakes. And one worrisome straw in the wind is the comment by Bush loyalist John Cornyn (R-Tex.) in today's Washington Post, who, according to the Post, thinks the nominee will likely be "a woman or a minority." Cornyn offered what the Post described as "a vigorous defense of Gonzales." "He would be a very good nominee and one that I would be happy to support," Cornyn said. "I've read about these concerns from some conservatives, and I really wonder where they are getting some of these strange ideas."

Yikes. One hopes Cornyn is just being polite to Gonzales and Bush. Or has he been asked to lay the groundwork for a Gonzales nomination? Did Cornyn talk with Karl Rove yesterday, between the Roberts announcement and his interview with the Post? If so, we conservative constitutionalists are in real trouble. More important, so is Bush.

William Kristol is editor of The Weekly Standard.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush43; bushsoldyouout; johnroberts; judicialnominees; kristol; oconnor; rehnquist; roberts; sandradayoconnor; scotus; sdo; stupidbotsurscrewed; williamrehnquist
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1 posted on 09/06/2005 4:14:45 PM PDT by RWR8189
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To: RWR8189

William Kristol and others always assume they know more than the man in charge.


2 posted on 09/06/2005 4:18:00 PM PDT by Loyal Buckeye
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To: RWR8189

Bill Krystol said it very eloquently re Gonzales:

"YIKES!!"


3 posted on 09/06/2005 4:19:24 PM PDT by FReethesheeples (Was the Narcissistic Joe Wilson a Source in "Outing" His Own Wife Valerie Plame as a "CIA Agent"?)
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To: RWR8189

Kristol really, really, wants to be "right" on Gonzales. I think he might be right if Stephens retires but not until/if then.


4 posted on 09/06/2005 4:19:24 PM PDT by WoodstockCat (General Honore: "The storm gets a vote... We're not stuck on stupid.")
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To: RWR8189

Exactly right.


5 posted on 09/06/2005 4:19:26 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past (The repenting soul is the victorious soul)
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To: RWR8189

If its Gonzales..the pocket book and my families votes dissappear. I like most conservatives will self insure.


6 posted on 09/06/2005 4:19:31 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Pitchforks and Lanterns..with a smiley face!)
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To: RWR8189
I mean: Bill Kristol (corrected spelling: sic) said it very eloquently re Gonzales:

"YIKES!!"
7 posted on 09/06/2005 4:20:29 PM PDT by FReethesheeples (Was the Narcissistic Joe Wilson a Source in "Outing" His Own Wife Valerie Plame as a "CIA Agent"?)
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To: samadams2000

I dont want a latino muppet on the court.


8 posted on 09/06/2005 4:20:33 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Pitchforks and Lanterns..with a smiley face!)
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To: WoodstockCat

He was right on O'Connor retiring instead of Rehnquist...let's hope he's not right now...


9 posted on 09/06/2005 4:22:21 PM PDT by RWR8189 ( Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.)
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To: samadams2000

What about Miguel Estrada?


10 posted on 09/06/2005 4:22:42 PM PDT by Echo Talon (http://echotalon.blogspot.com)
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To: Loyal Buckeye

Did I miss it when the Pope got company in the infallibility club?


11 posted on 09/06/2005 4:23:35 PM PDT by U.H. Conservative (http://unhyphenatedconservative.blogspot.com/)
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To: WoodstockCat
If Gonzales were about the 5th GWBush confirmed nominee he might THEN be right, ---- as long as the others were authentic conservatives, and if he were replacing Ruth Bader Ginsberg or Jean Paul Stevens, ---- as long as Justices Scalia and Thomas also still remained on the bench.....

One could wish...
12 posted on 09/06/2005 4:24:42 PM PDT by FReethesheeples (Was the Narcissistic Joe Wilson a Source in "Outing" His Own Wife Valerie Plame as a "CIA Agent"?)
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To: Echo Talon

I would be honored to have that real conservative latino on the court.


13 posted on 09/06/2005 4:24:55 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Pitchforks and Lanterns..with a smiley face!)
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To: everyone

I'm not personally a big fan of Bill Kristol, but he is a good political analyst. I'd take this editorial very seriously.

Bush always bears watching. Some people have too much faith in him. It certainly won't hurt to put pressure on him, if done properly.


14 posted on 09/06/2005 4:25:05 PM PDT by California Patriot
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To: FReethesheeples

I think conservatives need to focus more on changing the direction of the courts through the legislative branch. We didn't just win majorities in government so we can hope and pray we appoint conservative judges. I'm tired of asking the courts "mother, may I".


15 posted on 09/06/2005 4:26:12 PM PDT by neodad (Rule Number 1: Be Armed)
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To: samadams2000

I want Michael Luttig. :D


16 posted on 09/06/2005 4:27:16 PM PDT by Echo Talon (http://echotalon.blogspot.com)
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To: RWR8189

If Bush nominated someone like Roberts for the O'Connor slot once, why does Bill think that he wouldn't do it again? He can be so annoying at times.


17 posted on 09/06/2005 4:27:17 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: California Patriot

ditto. Its a shame that we must lose sleep over his decision making capability. The border, etc.??.It sometimes feels like the lost opportunity period of his father and even the last 3 years of Reagan...only..he's not Reagan so we have legitimate concerns.


18 posted on 09/06/2005 4:27:48 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Pitchforks and Lanterns..with a smiley face!)
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To: Echo Talon

He's my choice as well. Or Olsen.


19 posted on 09/06/2005 4:28:22 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Pitchforks and Lanterns..with a smiley face!)
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To: RWR8189
Kristol is correct that the short term political advantage lies with choosing someone acceptable to the left.

I personally think Bush will take the long view, and put up a fight for the person he thinks is most likely to move the court in the direction he wants. The Bushes may have some wierd relationship with the Clintons, but W is not Bill. My money is on Bush doing what he thinks is best, not what is easy or politically expedient.

20 posted on 09/06/2005 4:29:04 PM PDT by tjg (Being a liberal means never having to grow up.)
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