The Next US Supreme Court Justice

It appears that the U.S. Supreme Court will add in a new face some time this year. David Souter, George H. Bush appointee, has decided to retire at the end of the current court term.[1] Although appointed by Bush Sr., Souter often sided with the liberal side of the court so the balance of the court will not change (though Obama's appointee will mostly likely lean the liberal side more often than Souter). Now the search is on for someone to replace him.

So who will Obama pick? Some people have been mentioned but let's review what Obama has said concerning the criteria that he'll use when deciding who he'll nominate.

While on the campaign trail, President Obama said the following concerning his potential nominee:

• 2008 in Ohio:

"I want people on the bench who have enough empathy, enough feeling, for what ordinary people are going through,"[2].

• 2008 in New York (debate):

"I will look for those judges who have an outstanding judicial record, who have the intellect, and who hopefully have a sense of what real-world folks are going through,"

• 2007

"And then there's another vision of the court that says that the courts are the refuge of the powerless," he said. "Because oftentimes they can lose in the democratic back and forth. They may be locked out and prevented from fully participating in the democratic process.... And we need somebody who's got the heart -- the empathy -- to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old -- and that's the criteria by which I'll be selecting my judges."

A judge that's empathetic and understands what it's like to be poor or black or gay or old?? I think Che Guevara would have been an excellent pick for the President. Wait, actually no he wouldn't have. Che wasn't fond of homosexuals.[3]

I wonder if President Obama wants his nominee to be empathetic toward the unborn child. Perhaps when he said "have a sense of what real-world folks are going through" that he meant gun owners. What about small business owners? Wealthy people? I mean, they are in the minority, especially these days. Or Is empathy only reserved for minorities, like myself but excluding rich folks, who are "oppressed" by the majority? Yes, that must be it then.

Arlen Specter, fresh off his recent converstion over to the Democratic Party, put in his valuable 2 cents by stating that he wanted Obama to look beyond judicial credentials and pick a statesman or stateswoman[4]. How on earth did Specter get elected so many times? Pennsylvanians are suspect, at best, when it comes to their politics (Rick Santorum and John Murtha to boot).

Anyway, here are some real people that Obama might pick (rumored):

• Sonia Sotomayor

• Elena Kagan

• Diane Wood

I sense a theme here. I'm sure I will be wonderfully disappointed with his selection.

White House Bonehead of the Week...

Let’s face it, any blunders committed by the current Obama Administration necessitates a scapegoat. After all, why should the Commander in Chief have to take the fall for what happens under his watch? Not that this is, or will be, the last Presidential Administration to make use of the time honored tradition of the “White House Scapegoat.” In fact, plenty of Administrations before this one ( both Republican and Democrat a like), have saved face at one time or another by pinning a bonehead move on a low level peon. That said, this week’s “White House Bonehead of the Week Award” goes to no other than Louis Caldera.

Caldera, the Director of the White House Military Office, was the brilliant mind beyond the infamous Air Force One buzzing of lower Manhattan last Monday. The stunt, a photo opportunity gone horribly wrong, sent thousands of New Yorker into a terror-filled panic. As the plane, with its F-16 escort, flew at low altitude around ground zero, New Yorkers streamed out of buildings thinking they were about to witness another 9/11 attack on the city.

As for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he was never told what the White House was up to, leaving him to angrily call the stunt "ill-conceived" and a "waste of taxpayers' money."

Naturally, this type of grade-A stupidity had to be pin on somebody. That somebody was not to be White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who did his best to dodge all questions about the incident. Gibbs went as far as saying that he had no other information about the flyover than what was already in the news, adding the hilarious line, "You might be surprised to know I don't know every movement of Air Force One or what happens to it."

Though a close runner up for Bonehead of the Week, Gibbs managed to dodge the issue long enough for Caldera to step up and issue the following statement:

"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that
decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."

What’s that? No, not quite Obama issuing an apology for “American arrogance” world wide, is it? Heck, it’s not even an acknowledgement of stupidity. In the end, it’s merely a low level “I am sorry for the confusion” statement.

I am guessing there was no way to pin this one on the Bush Administration? Still it would have been refreshing to have had an Administration take real responsibility for a blunder, but that would be “hoping” for some real “change.”