Posted on 07/01/2005 4:56:47 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
President Bush said Friday he will pick a successor to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in a timely manner so her vacancy can be filled by the time the Supreme Court resumes work in the fall.
The White House said he would not decide before returning from Europe on July 8.
Bush will consult with Republican and Democratic senators about his selection, and would review briefing material on potential nominees on the flight to Denmark next Tuesday and during his stay Wednesday through Friday at the summit of leading industrialized nations, in Gleneagles, Scotland, said presidential spokesman Scott McClellan.
The White House got the first indication of the retirement on Thursday when the Supreme Court's head marshal, Pamela Talkin, called White House counsel Harriet Miers to make arrangements to deliver a sealed envelope the next morning.
Miers informed Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who were having lunch together, that a letter was coming. Talkin informed the White House around 9 a.m. Friday that the letter was from O'Connor, and Miers alerted Bush .
The president spoke with O'Connor before he appeared in the Rose Garden to express appreciation for her 24 years of service.
"For an old ranching girl, you turned out pretty good," he told O'Connor, who grew up on an Arizona ranch. But it was an emotional call, McClellan said. He quoted Bush as telling her, "You're one of the great Americans" and "I wish I were there to hug you." Met with advisers
After talking with O'Connor and before going to the Rose Garden, Bush held a meeting with senior advisers to talk about the selection process.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
No Gonzales, fortunately. Unfortunately that means no Janice Brown or Estrada.
"Dignified Process" means the dems are going to screech and throw feces during the judicial hearings
well then does that mean Luttig or Ashcroft then?
Might he be saving Brown or Estrada for Rehnquist?
Why? Since when did the president need to get permission from the demoCRAT before making his selection?
If he wants a dignified process, how does he propose to keep Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi out of it?
Dignified process means that the loony libs will kick the nominee in the nuts and get tons of face time on TV denigrating the nominee, and Bush the "Gentleman" will do nothing to fight for his candidate.
How many times do we have to see this routine before we'll admit the Republicans are the most testicle-free group of people on the planet?
And if a black was president, would they belch when all the candidates were black? Well... no. Oh heck, I'll be generious, they'd probably throw a hissy fit if there wasn't a hispanic on the list.
The Democrats will recommend a Justice who would give away your private property to another private party. Their four Justices just voted for that.
Don't believe that tripe about no women or minorities on that list.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch..
He is not getting permission, he is merely "consulting" with them thus satisfying the Constitutional requirement!
After that, the DIMS may well throw feces, hissy fits, etc.
Ah, come on...when the heck has the AP gotten anything right?
I agree... I think it's a pre-July Fourth head-fake with a Dem head explosion to follow.
What about Tucker Carlson? </sarc>
Fair enough, Fog. The demoCRAT party must be disassambled and rebuilt from the ashes and replaced with a law-abiding party or they are going to get us all killed.
Hope the Republicans pass the Constitutional Option right now. Don't wait. Get the CRATS off balance. That would give them lots to bitch about and keep them busy.
If this list was distributed "within the last week", that means it was before O'Connor quit. At that time they were expecting Rehnquist to quit, the Chief Indian position.
This postition now open is an Associate Idiot position. All bets are off. I think, unfortunately, Gonzales is probably still in play.
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