[Congressman Billybob]

I happen to agree with you that Professor Thomas Sowell would be an outstanding Justice on the Court. I agree that being a lawyer is NOT required to be a Justice on the Supreme Court. Interestingly, the Court itself has said exactly that, in an opinion on whether a Probate Judge in some state had to be a lawyer.

However, I don't think President Bush is going to consider any non-lawyer right now. And there is a problem with Sowell. He has just turned 75. His wide-reaching brilliance would be valuable to the Court. But the calendar says that he probably wouldn't survive ten years, much less thirty years.

John / Billybob

[George Smiley]

I happen to agree with you that Professor Thomas Sowell would be an outstanding Justice on the Court.

What that man could do to the opinions the clerks rough out would be outstanding.

If we're going to appoint an economist to the Big Nine, I'd like to state for the record that Walter Williams would really liven the place up and poke some holes in that stuffier-than-thou decorum up there.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

there is a problem with Sowell. He has just turned 75. His wide-reaching brilliance would be valuable to the Court. But the calendar says that he probably wouldn't survive ten years, much less thirty years.

I admit that the evil day of his passing isn't getting any further away. But then, you don't actually expect to find wisdom in teenagers . . .

It could in a way be a positive for confirmation that the appointment for life would not be an interminable appointment. Of course, Sowell's name would be a red flag to a bull; Ted Kennedy hectored Clarence Thomas by saying that Thomas was probably a friend of Thomas Sowell.

It ain't gonna happen - but if it did, they could put C-Span on pay-per-veiw for the hearings . . .