The next nominee
Powerline
So far, the nomination of John Roberts has been perhaps the only public relations success of President Bush's second term. Thus, it's reasonable to believe that Bush will try to nominate someone who possesses the characteristics that his team believes have made the Roberts nomination such a coup (again, so far).
My guess, therefore, is that Bush will nominate someone who is physically attractive, lacks a long judicial record, and is not a liberal. He would also like to nominate someone who, like Roberts, has phenomenal academic and work experience credentials. However, it may be hard to find a candidate who meets that criterion on the top of the others. Thus, in the hope of pulling off another coup, Bush may well turn to a minority or female candidate. Edith Clement, who some say was the runner-up last time, might be a good bet. The fact that she's also from Louisiana won't hurt, but I don't think it will be a real factor in the decision. Alberto Gonzales is another strong possibility, I imagine.
Personally, I'd love to see the president nominate Michael Luttig. In all events, I hope he and his team pay more attention to nominating a strong conservative than is implied by my prediction as to his thought process. |
