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Given the direction this thread has taken there is really no need to bash Bush over your fear he will nominate a liberal Supreme Court justice in the event of a Republican takeover of the Senate. Seems Bush is responsible for every evil but Starbucks breath.

Here goes anyway. Those liberal senators who claim they knew Souter was pro-abortion are claiming credit after the fact. Souter refused to answer the question publicly. Show me one conservative Senator who knew Souter was pro-abortion and blew the whistle on him.

But this debate is irrelevant. Unlike his father, Bush 43 is a pro-life evangelical, not a convert on the eve of nomination. Bush 43 also saw upclose and personal his father's mistakes, and openly acknowledged those mistakes cost Bush 41 a second term. And your thesis is that Bush 43 just can't wait to make the same mistakes and be another one-termer. Bush 43 ain't smokin' whatever yer smokin'.

He's nominated good conservative judges so far and has given no indication of any change.

Actually, I have heard Joe Biden say that him and Warren Rudman celebrated the fact Bush is nominating a pro-abortion justice right after Brennan retired. A little known fact is that Reagan also considered nominating Souter, but didn't because he didn't feel he was conservative enough. What a foresight!! Also, Souter was in the 1st circuit US Court of Appeals for only three months before he was nominated. Bush knew that if people found out that he wasn't a conservative, he would have an aweful time trying to nominate him to the Supreme Court. That is why he hurried. Plus, the fact that Bush Sr was in love with Rudman helped matters for Souter anyways. The fact that Souter was a right hand man of Warren Rudman says a lot about how he thinks about things. Every Republican knew it but went along anyways because they feared that otherwise Bush would have to take a lot of flack from Congress if he sent another Thomas.

But, it is a mute point, because Bush Jr will not be sending conservative justices to the Senate. They will be handpicked to court the Hispanic vote. The solid conservative justices in this country are the likes of Luttig, Posner, Easterbrook, et. al. I can bet with you right now, they won't be nominated, nor anyone who closely resembles them. Bush will handpick judges who gives him the most leverage. At the end of the day, Bush does not care if Republicans can win the Senate. Bush wants to accomplish what his dad couldn't - win a second term. That is his goal from day 1. Honestly, so far he has appeased so many groups on the left, that I think Dems would do what they did to Warner in VA - not run an opponent, because there is no point. Their agenda is getting promoted anyways. They might just keep their good candidates until 2008.