Arkansas Blog

Ironic, isn't it, that while Mr. Bush perhaps has not succeeded as a "decider" in his own right, he has managed to place very potent deciders on the nation's High Court.

Depending on how badly the war turns out, this may be his essential legacy.

May be true, but I don't recall David Souter holding true to his confirmation pledges either....the potential for a lifetime appointment has that effect on people...

Pardon my ghoulishness.
Looking to the future, is there anywhere a breakdown of the supremes' ages, -- ok, that's the easy part -- health issues, including inherited tendencies, and inclination to continue to serve until death?
But for Sandra Day O'Conner I would never had thought of this last one and I can only say I wish she had chosen to remain on the court.
Please, please, I'm reduced to begging of any higher power which may exist, no more appointment opportunities for the idiot-in-chief, and please, please, don't let the dems crash and burn in 2008.
Sigh.

"this [court] may be [Bush's]
essential legacy.
Posted by: TAP"

Indeed, the court will be his lasting legacy, and the recent court decisions (and they're just getting started here, folks) may, over time, do more than the war to motivate voters to go to the polls to start undoing the huge mistakes the court is now making.

Even more than Congress, the court has the power to, in one afternoon, change people's lives at the local level. That gets the electorate's attention.

Unfortunately, the extremist conservatives are a lot younger:

The RIGHT:
John Roberts: 52
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr.: 57
Clarence Thomas: 59
Antonin Scalia: 71
Anthony M. Kennedy: 71

The LEFT:
John Paul Stevens: 87
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 74
Stephen G. Breyer: 69
David Hackett Souter: 68

That may be true, TheBusDriver, and I think there is as well something about actually donning the robe of the nation's highest court -- maybe the surprisingly strong stirrings of one's most deeply held convictions, or a sense of obligation to view things from a different perspective -- that may cause some of the Justices to surprise themselves.

By that I mean that in the end Mr. Justice Harry Blackmun, for example, may have surprised himself as much as he did President Nixon.

There seems to be little reason to doubt that Roe v. Wade will fall.

What will be interesting then is the battle in the nation's various Statehouses over what, if any, restrictions to place on abortion rights.

It'll be an easy call for some legislators, but others may pause in the face of the actual (and not, for a change, rhetorical) impact of their positions.

We live in interesting times.

Sorry TAP, we passed interesting some time ago. We are not yet to dangerous or perilous but it is time for sober judgement and it is hard to find any.

Sadly, I was only against George W in 2000 for his anti-environmental background. Little did I suspect the hard to undo messes of W would be Iraq and the Supremes.

Even the Dems are too interested in the polls and their My Space to make any sense.

The most logical statement on Iraq in years was delievered by a tired old republican the other. The candidates are too scared to talk that straight.

Even the Dems are too interested in the polls and their My Space to make any sense.

The most logical statement on Iraq in years was delievered by a tired old republican the other day. The candidates are too scared to talk that straight.

The minority speaks here all the time..
The dem party is dead. The rep are dying and we need a party that will not adhere to liberals or to extremes.
Abe said the best government is one that governs the least. That is true..

Funny how you can fool some of the people all the time, the 29% prove it. But I wasn't fooled by Roberts or Alito or President Cheney's fake WMD in Iraq. I never thought we'd get a good deal out of Cheney-Bush and sadly I'm right again.

But if you think you're mad now, just wait until Congress v White House gets to the Supreme Court and America loses 5-4. Then what are we gonna do?

After watching my out of control blood sugar levels and the movie Sicko....I got Canada on my mind. Will Molson FK with my blood sugar?

Nothing is an accident in the Cheney presidency....nothing! He packed the court just for this day. He packed the US Attorney's offices just for this day. He cut the balls off Congress just for this day. He sent all our troops away to Iraq for this day. He shredded his files just for this day. He practiced shooting people in the face for this day.

This is what he's been building toward since Jan. 2000. Forget about elections in 2008, we've seen the last of those things. I've been working on my anti-waterboarding techniques and nothing works. We're in a tight spot.

If we survive, and I wouldn't bet any money on it, the office of Super President will change drastically one way or the other. Hillary will either use Cheney's super powers or do the right thing and pull the Executive Branch back down to the size of the other 2 branches.

But first we have to battle Super Cheney with his stacked deck. We may not win. He could be our Castro, we may have looked away too long. Let us hope not Comrades.

The right-wing seeks to control this country in blatant disregard for the Constitution and majority rule:
- Filtering and altering the truth in the media, mostly all of which they own.
- Prosecution and judiciary decisions based on political party.
- An executive branch that is, by their own admittance, above the law.
- Blantant disregard for all standards of global ethical conduct.
- And so on.

If the republicans were forced to obey the constitution and pay attention to the will of the people, they'd be out of business.

Spirit, which ones are mackerel snappers?

The mackeral snappers on the current court are:

Thomas
Alito
Kennedy
Roberts
Scalia

Breyer and Ginsburg are Jewish, Stevens is Protestant, and Souter is a Whiskey-palian.

DBI,

I bought Colin Powell's UN performance hook, line and sinker. I admit it.

My teenager didn't, though. Not for a minute.

Maybe I'm getting senile?

TAP, the UN Show was well directed and Colin's performance was, unfortunately, good.
Many people "bought it" including the so-called brilliant or smart Senator Clinton.

I've been against this bunch of criminals since I began looking into them in 99.

I regret how General Powell allowed him self to be used by such slime as occupies the Wht Hse. After they finished using him he was tossed aside.

TAP, the closet I got to blindly following Cheney-Bush into war was the several hours after I watched Colin Powell lie to the world. He almost got me and that's why I'd hit him if he tried to cross the street in front of my car.

The most powerful black man in America and he wastes it by becoming President Cheney's lapdog. I'm glad he quit and I'm glad for the few honest admissions he's made. But he's on my shit list and will be there till the end of time. Look how many people he's helped kill. These people are animals.

DBI,

The thought of Mr. Cheney at the helm has sometimes inspired me to pray for Mr. Bush's health and safety.

Seems like you're convinced the VP's already at the helm. A sobering thought.

"Seems like you're convinced the VP's already at the helm. A sobering thought."

dubya is the great pretender, a puppet on a string.

Darth is definitely driving this runaway train.

Hmmm . . . now that I think about it hugh mann, it does seem like the folks in charge were more worried about getting Mr. Cheney to an "undisclosed safe location" during times of heightened threat than they were about getting Mr. Bush to a hideout....