Court Rumors Abound...
As I said yesterday, I'm not one to jump on rumor and innuendo, however sources in Washington, DC are saying that those in charge of helping the president vet the replacement for Miers aren't working to hard to protect the identity of who is next.
In short, it appears to be either Samuel Alito or Michael Luttig.
If this is true then this is a very smart move. Alito, dubbed "Scalito" by his law clerks, is as solid as they come. He has views very close to that of Justice Scalia. He just doesn't lower the boom when he writes an opinion like Scalia does. He has fifteen years on the Third Circuit Court, and his conservatism is evident in a case-to-case basis rather than the broad, sweeping opinions on constitutionality.
If it isn't true, and he appoints Michael Luttig, it's a home-run that I doubt the Democrats could recover from. This is why Thomas, Marcie, and I--through our research--would love to see him on the high court. There are benefits to a Luttig nomination. First, he is from Texas. Second, he recused himself in a death penalty appeal where he was personally involved. Third, his knowledge of the law is at least as extensive as Chief Justice Roberts. Lastly, he would give the liberals the same sort of fits that Chief Justice Roberts gave them.
A filibuster couldn't be used on either Alito or Luttig. Both men sailed through their initial confirmations without so much as a batted eyelash being given to them. They passed with overwhelming majorities, and their tenure on the bench has been marked by solid originalism, and no complaints from legal experts. (Well, at least not from the experts that have a brain. Sorry Erwin.)
If either of these men are nominated, it will erase the specter of Miers from the map. I'm not saying that all will be forgiven. The base is still smarting from Miers, but either of these men can wipe that fight away. So, to our regular readers, let's wait and see. If he doesn't nominate either person, hold your fire. Give it a day or so. We'll be ripping research on the nominee, and we'll keep people informed, as we did with Miers. Granted, if it's neither, and the president loses his mind and nominates Al Gonzales, there will be no fire held; the bloggers will let him have it with both barrels.
But the rumors point to either Alito or Luttig. Either would be fine.
And on a sour note this morning, Patrick Fitzgerald has handed down one indictment. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been indicted on charges of lying to investigators. Ah, I can hear the champagne corks popping from the liberals. I'm sure any sound bite from Sen. Kennedy might have to be doctored to edit out the slurred words. The problem is that charge is not the same as lying to the grand jury.
According to the reports that are coming out, Libby made a direct, contradictory statement to investigators. He stated that Valerie Plame's name was "leaked" to him through reporters. Investigators claim they have E-mails contradicting him that point to his source as Vice President Cheney. To the liberals tossing high five's out there, this charge--if found guilty--won't give Libby a day in jail. Libby will cooperate, and he'll be lucky if he gets probation. Fitzgerald has nothing on Karl Rove, and it sounds as though he was grasping at straws to come up with this charge. Again, as with the court watching, we will see what happens. But my personal and professional opinion is that Libby will be the only one indicted, and there will be no jail time for him.
Mistress Pundit
ADDENDUM: As I was putting this up, it came across FOX News, that Libby has resigned his place as Cheney's Chief of Staff.
ADDENDUM II: Confirm Them is also reporting that the Chicago Tribune has confirmed that four of the potentials are: Samuel Alito, Michael Luttig, Karen Williams, and Priscilla Owen. It seems that the president is paying attention to the concerns of his base. all four of these people are on our short list, and any one of them will do the job well. Of course, we have our favorite (Luttig), but if these are the people that the president is looking at, then we know he's learned his lesson about "stealth" candidates.
Publius II
As I said yesterday, I'm not one to jump on rumor and innuendo, however sources in Washington, DC are saying that those in charge of helping the president vet the replacement for Miers aren't working to hard to protect the identity of who is next.
In short, it appears to be either Samuel Alito or Michael Luttig.
If this is true then this is a very smart move. Alito, dubbed "Scalito" by his law clerks, is as solid as they come. He has views very close to that of Justice Scalia. He just doesn't lower the boom when he writes an opinion like Scalia does. He has fifteen years on the Third Circuit Court, and his conservatism is evident in a case-to-case basis rather than the broad, sweeping opinions on constitutionality.
If it isn't true, and he appoints Michael Luttig, it's a home-run that I doubt the Democrats could recover from. This is why Thomas, Marcie, and I--through our research--would love to see him on the high court. There are benefits to a Luttig nomination. First, he is from Texas. Second, he recused himself in a death penalty appeal where he was personally involved. Third, his knowledge of the law is at least as extensive as Chief Justice Roberts. Lastly, he would give the liberals the same sort of fits that Chief Justice Roberts gave them.
A filibuster couldn't be used on either Alito or Luttig. Both men sailed through their initial confirmations without so much as a batted eyelash being given to them. They passed with overwhelming majorities, and their tenure on the bench has been marked by solid originalism, and no complaints from legal experts. (Well, at least not from the experts that have a brain. Sorry Erwin.)
If either of these men are nominated, it will erase the specter of Miers from the map. I'm not saying that all will be forgiven. The base is still smarting from Miers, but either of these men can wipe that fight away. So, to our regular readers, let's wait and see. If he doesn't nominate either person, hold your fire. Give it a day or so. We'll be ripping research on the nominee, and we'll keep people informed, as we did with Miers. Granted, if it's neither, and the president loses his mind and nominates Al Gonzales, there will be no fire held; the bloggers will let him have it with both barrels.
But the rumors point to either Alito or Luttig. Either would be fine.
And on a sour note this morning, Patrick Fitzgerald has handed down one indictment. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been indicted on charges of lying to investigators. Ah, I can hear the champagne corks popping from the liberals. I'm sure any sound bite from Sen. Kennedy might have to be doctored to edit out the slurred words. The problem is that charge is not the same as lying to the grand jury.
According to the reports that are coming out, Libby made a direct, contradictory statement to investigators. He stated that Valerie Plame's name was "leaked" to him through reporters. Investigators claim they have E-mails contradicting him that point to his source as Vice President Cheney. To the liberals tossing high five's out there, this charge--if found guilty--won't give Libby a day in jail. Libby will cooperate, and he'll be lucky if he gets probation. Fitzgerald has nothing on Karl Rove, and it sounds as though he was grasping at straws to come up with this charge. Again, as with the court watching, we will see what happens. But my personal and professional opinion is that Libby will be the only one indicted, and there will be no jail time for him.
Mistress Pundit
ADDENDUM: As I was putting this up, it came across FOX News, that Libby has resigned his place as Cheney's Chief of Staff.
ADDENDUM II: Confirm Them is also reporting that the Chicago Tribune has confirmed that four of the potentials are: Samuel Alito, Michael Luttig, Karen Williams, and Priscilla Owen. It seems that the president is paying attention to the concerns of his base. all four of these people are on our short list, and any one of them will do the job well. Of course, we have our favorite (Luttig), but if these are the people that the president is looking at, then we know he's learned his lesson about "stealth" candidates.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 9:51 AM
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