[kjam22]

In order to reshape the Court you need a keen intellect, a cool temperament, and an unstinting courage that God only endows a chosen few with.

I agree with you here in part. But the keen intellect need not be on constitutional issues. It needs to be on small group management. It needs to be a keen intellect based on management of human resources. This court operates like a city council, except it's members are there for life. It is aboslutely critical that we nominate people who will vote the way we want them to. (however that happens to be). That's the only real qualification for this court. When you have a body that consists of 9 votes, your priority is to get 5 votes. This idea that we're going to nominate these intellectual giants who are going to sway the court and all that is just wishful dreaming.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

But the keen intellect need not be on Constitutional issues.

Excuse me?

That's precisely what it HAS to be.

The Supreme Court is the final arbiter on what is and isn't Constitutional.

Stating that someone's knowledge of the Constitution-and thus far, Harriet Miers hasn't demonstrated even a rudimentary grasp of the basics of Con law-is not material to this discussion is so bizarre, and counterintuitive that it strains credulity.

That would be the equivalent of saying, "well, we're looking for a custodian, but prior experience in maintenance isn't necessary."

Really, so I guess that an MFA from Julliard is sufficient if you're looking for someone to fix a boiler, hunh?.

Do you realize how inherently ridiculous that statement is?

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

No, the Supreme Court it isn't anything like a city council.

I can't speak for yours, but my city council does not operate like the Supreme Court.

First of all, there are over four dozen ELECTED members, not nine who were appointed.

Secondly, they are limited to eight years in office, and have to run for re-election every two years subsequent to their initial election, whereas jurists on the Supreme Court never have to run for election, and are appointed for life.

What this means is that they are permanent fixtures until they either retire-which is unheard of-or more frequently, die.

The New York City Council holds PUBLIC hearings, which anyone from the five boroughs can watch, if they have a cable box.

The Supreme Court bars any cameras-and until recently, any tape recordings-from its chambers.

In other words, my city council-as awful and radical as it is-is at the very least accountable to the liberal schmucks that elected it, unlike the SCOTUS.