Another Vacancy?
Robert Novak's Court sources say that Rehnquist will retire too.
I wouldn't be surprised. Two vacancies have happened before. In fact, Rehnquist was appointed to the Court at the same time as Powell. Rehnquist's confirmation would have been much more difficult if he was alone. Nixon managed to portray them as a package deal, keeping them together a lot. This could make the current situation very interesting. Two nominees going through at once are harder to block. You can play their flaws off of each other. "Well A has a hardline position on this issue, but B doesn't." This of course makes the nominees themselves even more important.
I have thrown out a few ideas about the nominees in the past. A few were strategically assembled groups, a few were wishlists, and then there was my personal preference list of CJ Roberts, McConnell, and Jones. But if someone asked me to make a prediction of who will actually be nominated, I have no clue. I have no idea what President Bush is going to do. He could say "screw you" to strong conservatives and nominate Gonzales. He could do the big swerve (since the media seems to think it is going to be Gonzales) and nominate someone else. All I know is that I am glad Fred Thompson was named to be the nominee's confirmation guide. I love that man in the most hetero way possible. Good senator, great lawyer, excellent actor. I wish I had his accent too. Hell, put him on the Court.
I wouldn't be surprised. Two vacancies have happened before. In fact, Rehnquist was appointed to the Court at the same time as Powell. Rehnquist's confirmation would have been much more difficult if he was alone. Nixon managed to portray them as a package deal, keeping them together a lot. This could make the current situation very interesting. Two nominees going through at once are harder to block. You can play their flaws off of each other. "Well A has a hardline position on this issue, but B doesn't." This of course makes the nominees themselves even more important.
I have thrown out a few ideas about the nominees in the past. A few were strategically assembled groups, a few were wishlists, and then there was my personal preference list of CJ Roberts, McConnell, and Jones. But if someone asked me to make a prediction of who will actually be nominated, I have no clue. I have no idea what President Bush is going to do. He could say "screw you" to strong conservatives and nominate Gonzales. He could do the big swerve (since the media seems to think it is going to be Gonzales) and nominate someone else. All I know is that I am glad Fred Thompson was named to be the nominee's confirmation guide. I love that man in the most hetero way possible. Good senator, great lawyer, excellent actor. I wish I had his accent too. Hell, put him on the Court.
