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The 2008 Bench Press

The most important decision a president ever makes? It's choosing a Supreme Court nominee. Voters, take note.

By Anna Quindlen | NEWSWEEK
May 12, 2008 Issue

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  • Posted By: HappyGuide @ 05/14/2008 2:28:13 AM

    Comment: All candidates will run from Ms. Quindlen???s recommended line of questioning because the issues can not be discussed much less adjudicated between commercial breaks on Oprah. Voters??? political ADD mixed with fractional voting blocks makes any serious articulation of judicial strategy almost impossible for a candidate with hopes for a majority vote. The more details provided regarding long-term judicial appointments would only offer more rationale for not voting for an individual. Plato had it right regarding democracy and voters??? focus on ???immediate desires???, so I expect we???ll hear be hearing a lot more of less between now and November. Tony Brown@HappyGuidetoaShortLife.com

  • Posted By: HappyGuide @ 05/14/2008 2:26:56 AM

    Comment: All candidates will run from Ms. Quindlen???s recommended line of questioning because the issues can not be discussed much less adjudicated between commercial breaks on Oprah. Voters??? political ADD mixed with fractional voting blocks makes any serious articulation of judicial strategy almost impossible for a candidate with hopes for a majority vote. The more details provided regarding long-term judicial appointments would only offer more rationale for not voting for an individual. Plato had it right regarding democracy and voters??? focus on ???immediate desires???, so I expect we???ll hear be hearing a lot more of less between now and November. Tony Brown, author www.HappyGuidetoaShortLife.com

  • Posted By: griffin1 @ 05/13/2008 12:04:30 PM

    Comment: You better watch her - Hillary is like a mad woman right now and not only will she go down without a fight she will trash Obama and still this election first.
    I am starting to look at this democratic party in another light. They are push overs and could have put a end to this madness weeks ago. It's nonsense

  • Posted By: alvinernest @ 05/12/2008 5:37:14 PM

    Comment: Hillary Clinton has set the democratic party back at least 20 years, she is the most arrogant and devious presidential candidate ever! What you see is NOT what you get!!! Buyer beware!!!!!!

  • Posted By: howiefineman @ 05/12/2008 4:54:18 AM

    Comment: haha the biggest haters are the ones responsible for the republicans being in office in the first place: The NOBLE SPEAKING EVER RESPECTFUL BEVERAGE CHALLENEGED TEDDY KENNEDY, THE RESPECTFUL AND EVER LOYAL LOST IN A LANDSLIDE TO TRICKY DICK OF ALL PEOPLE GEORGE MCGOVERN, HAMAS LOVING JIMMY CARTER, SWIFT BOATED JOHN KERRY, JUST NOW SLITHERING OUT FROM UNDER A ROCK JOHN EDWARDS, VENGEANCE IS MINE I WILL CAST THE DECIDING VOTE AL GORE, YEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAW HOWARD DEAN, ZERO DELEGATE WINNING DODD, NEVER EVEN GOT OFF THE BENCH BILL BRADLEY, FIRST SENATE LEADER IN HALF A CENTURY TO BE VOTED OUT OF OFFICE TOM DASCHEL AND WHO THE HELL CARES BILL RICHARDSON. haha if any of these gyne envy phallically challenged MEN? had done their job this country wouldnt be in this mess. THEY are the ones responsible for BUSH. THEY are the ones responsible for the mess the Democratic Party is in. THEY are the ones responsible for knocking out Senator Clinton because BANTAMWEIGHT BARRY couldnt. Clinton has had their t*ts in a ringer for 16 MONTHS and they still havent been able to do it. hahaha and theyve got the DNC and MSM and all the obamabots helping them out. GOD BLESS AMERICA. oops i mean NO, NO, NO, GOD DAMN AMERICA OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT BY OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN SPIRITUAL ADVISOR TO OBAMA CRAZY OLD UNCLE JEREMIAH WRIGHT. Hahaha

  • Posted By: gambini @ 05/10/2008 10:42:55 AM

    Comment: Even though the writer is showing her liberal bias in this article, she is telling the truth concerning the importance of this election, relative to judicial appointments. Obama or Clinton would make disasterous selections based on their left-wing ideaology. Capital punishment would dissappear except for the thousands of innocent unborn babies who would be executed by the abortion industry. Quotas, rather than qualifications would determine college admissions and employment law. Decisions like Kelo would become more routine, rendering the right of private property non-existant. And federal judges woulld decide the meaning of the words "marriage" and "family" to suit their own socialist biases. McCain has stated the kind of judges he would appoint, those like John Roberts and Sam Alito. He gets it right, without the likes of Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, Alito, and sometimes Kennedy, America would be headed down the toilet...fast.

  • Posted By: coughlib @ 05/09/2008 1:43:10 PM

    Comment: The next president will not have an opportunity to appoint any Supreme Court Justices, even if if he serves two terms.Which of those currently serving will retire before their 90th birthday?

  • Posted By: voter1977 @ 05/06/2008 3:40:18 PM

    Comment: I wish Quindlen was a debate moderator. No throwaway flagpin questions from her.

    After reading this article, I got worried that I could name more American Idol contestants than Supreme Court Justices. But here they are, with the Pres. who appointed them: Alito (Bush II), Roberts (Bush II), Thomas (Bush I), Souter (Bush I), Kennedy (Reagan), Scalia (Reagan), Ginsberg (Clinton), Breyer (Clinton).

    I'm praying for a Democratic President right now.

  • Posted By: voter1977 @ 05/06/2008 3:39:30 PM

    Comment: Quindlen would be such a better debate moderator than Stephanopolis. She would have asked better questions.

    After reading this article, I got worried that I could name more American Idol contestants than Supreme Court Justices. But here they are, with the Pres. who appointed them: Alito (Bush II), Roberts (Bush II), Thomas (Bush I), Souter (Bush I), Kennedy (Reagan), Scalia (Reagan), Ginsberg (Clinton), Breyer (Clinton).

    I'm praying for a Democratic President right now.

  • Posted By: Thevail @ 05/06/2008 3:31:30 PM

    Comment: I want more justices that will uphold the laws we have and NOT interfere with a persons rights (unless it is blatantly obviously necessary). Oh and I'd like to see them do something about identity theft. Making it a federal fraud charge would suit me.

  • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 05/05/2008 7:38:11 PM

    Comment: To boil it all down[and yes,I can name all nine,and quicker probably than Quindlen],Anna wants more Souters. It is as simple as this.[although how ruling from the leftwing is any less injurious than ruling from the right,Quindlen doesn't say].

  • Posted By: Thevail @ 05/04/2008 5:19:29 PM

    Comment: I've been trying to point out something about this election forever, and now maybe someone will get it.

    Do you like our constitution?
    Obama does!
    He's a senior lecturer on constitutional law at Harvard.
    He is a liberal, and yet stated specifically during debate 21 that he does believe that the second amendment implies the right of THE INDIVIDUAL to keep and bear arms. That's normally a strictly "republican conservative" view point. But it isn't if you're a "strict constitutionalist".

    The excesses of power and secretiveness etc. that has marked the Bush years, are due to successful abuses of the constitution.

    Obama is EXTREMELY UNLIKELY to follow suit. As a constitutional scholar he understands that the best protection for America is to uphold it's constitution.
    This si perhaps the most important factor facing America. With the constitution in place, we can recover from the GWBs the Nixons,etc. Without we may not have that chance.

    Before you label Obama a "crazy liberal" read this..
    http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/convictions/archive/2008/03/23/endorsing-obama.aspx


    • Posted By: dick kay @ 05/07/2008 01:20:37

      Comment: He's the most liberal senator. Fact.
      He's also missed 40% of the votes.

    • Posted By: Thevail @ 05/04/2008 17:21:29

      Comment: Endorsing Obama
      By Doug Kmiec

      Today I endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States. I believe him to be a person of integrity, intelligence, and genuine good will. I take him at his word that he wants to move the nation beyond its religious and racial divides and that he wants to return the United States to that company of nations committed to human rights. I do not know if his earlier life experience is sufficient for the challenges of the presidency that lie ahead. I doubt we know this about any of the men or women we might select. It likely depends upon the serendipity of the events that cannot be foreseen. I do have confidence that the senator will cast his net widely in search of men and women of diverse, open-minded views and of superior intellectual qualities to assist him in the wide range of responsibilities that he must superintend.

      This endorsement may be of little note or consequence, except perhaps that it comes from an unlikely source: namely, a former constitutional legal counsel to two Republican presidents. The endorsement will likely supply no strategic advantage equivalent to that represented by the very helpful accolades the senator has received from many of high stature and accomplishment, including most recently, from Gov. Bill Richardson. Nevertheless, it is important to be said publicly in a public forum in order that it be understood. It is not arrived at without careful thought and some difficulty.

      As a Republican, I strongly wish to preserve traditional marriage not as a suspicion or denigration of my homosexual friends but as recognition of the significance of the procreative family as a building block of society. As a Republican and as a Catholic, I believe life begins at conception, and it is important for every life to be given sustenance and encouragement. As a Republican, I strongly believe that the Supreme Court of the United States must be fully dedicated to the rule of law and to the employ of a consistent method of interpretation that keeps the court within its limited judicial role. As a Republican, I believe problems are best resolved closest to their source and that we should never arrogate to a higher level of government that which can be more effectively and efficiently resolved below. As a Republican and a constitutional lawyer, I believe religious freedom does not mean religious separation or mindless exclusion from the public square.

      • Posted By: dick kay @ 05/07/2008 01:26:12

        Comment: "I believe him to be a person of integrity, intelligence, and genuine good will. I take him at his word"

        Just like everyone else. Problem is his words are lies. Good news for him is nobody cares. This man says I believe...I take him at his word...in other words this man has not done any research on him, as hasn't any of Obama supporters. Obama hates his mother's race. He told us. Simple as that.

      • Posted By: jduncan3321 @ 05/05/2008 20:05:44

        Comment: Are you saying that all constitutional scholars interpret the entire constitution in exactly the same way?

      • Posted By: jduncan3321 @ 05/05/2008 20:04:09

        Comment: So, are you saying that all constitutional scholars interpret the entire constitution in exactly the same way?

      • Posted By: Thevail @ 05/04/2008 17:22:44

        Comment:

        In various ways, Sen. Barack Obama and I may disagree on aspects of these important fundamentals, but I am convinced, based upon his public pronouncements and his personal writing, that on each of these questions he is not closed to understanding opposing points of view and, as best as it is humanly possible, he will respect and accommodate them.

        No doubt some of my friends will see this as a matter of party or intellectual treachery. I regret that, and I respect their disagreement. But they will readily agree that as Republicans, we are first Americans. As Americans, we must voice our concerns for the well-being of our nation without partisanship when decisions that have been made endanger the body politic. Our president has involved our nation in a military engagement without sufficient justification or a clear objective. In so doing, he has incurred both tragic loss of life and extraordinary debt jeopardizing the economy and the well-being of the average American citizen. In pursuit of these fatally flawed purposes, the office of the presidency, which it was once my privilege to defend in public office formally, has been distorted beyond its constitutional assignment. Today, I do no more than raise the defense of that important office anew, but as private citizen.

        Sept. 11 and the radical Islamic ideology that it represents is a continuing threat to our safety, and the next president must have the honesty to recognize that it, as author Paul Berman has written, "draws on totalitarian inspirations from 20th-century Europe and with its double roots, religious and modern, perversely intertwined. ... wields a lot more power, intellectually speaking, then naïve observers might suppose." Sen. Obama needs to address this extremist movement with the same clarity and honesty with which he has addressed the topic of race in America. Effective criticism of the incumbent for diverting us from this task is a good start, but it is incomplete without a forthright outline of a commitment to undertake, with international partners, the formation of a worldwide entity that will track, detain, prosecute, convict, punish, and thereby stem radical Islam's threat to civil order. I await Sen. Obama's more extended thinking upon this vital subject as he accepts the nomination of his party and engages Sen. McCain in the general campaign discussion to come.

        • Posted By: red dog 1 @ 05/06/2008 18:28:54

          Comment: Your verbosity and pseudo-academic intellectualism is only exceeded by your seeming self-adulation at the potential expense of capitulation to an enemy you only pretend to understand. I'm only gratified to pleasantly note your "former" counsel status.

  • Posted By: Mwalimu @ 05/04/2008 4:39:45 PM

    Comment: A few days ago I saw a documentary titled Body of War, which depicts the daily life of a severaly disabled Iraqi war veteran. It's not the upbeat story you frequently get in Newsweek. As I watched the film, I fought back tears. The main veteran of the film made a comment about stem cell research and the hope that stem cell researchmight make his life better. Perhaps he might walk again, or at least he might get full control of his bowel and urinary tracts.

    I can't help but wonder - What is the Catholic Church's stand on stem cell research? What about all the small town mega-churches which according to Hillary Clinton are fonts of spirtual richness that elitist Barack Obama cannot possibly understand. What if the Supreme Court that not onluy overturns Roe vs. Wade, but bans birth control and stem cell research? I'll you right now - that's gonna happen.

    Hillary Clinton has made a big issue of Reverend Wright in her drive to get the Democratic nomation. In addition to trashing Obama's decision to stay in Rev. Wright's church, she's also trashed Barack Obama's "funny" name, his "funny" Muslim costume, and his "funny" eating habits. . Hillary Clinton has proven beyond all reasonable doubt that smear and fear campaigns are the ONLY way to win an election.

    Only one problem.

    Once HIllary Clinton is a candidate, her church, the Methodist church, will be subjected to the same scrutiny as Reverend Wright's. And the positions of the Methodist church won't sit well with a lot of peop[le . In addition, by launching a fear and smear campaign against Obama, she's inviting the same fear and smear campaign against herself. And there's no way she can stop it . Hillary Clinton deliver an landslide victory to the GOP, and to reward the right wing of his party, John McCain will appoint rabid right wingers to the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court. Among other things. That will spell the end to any form of stem cell research.

    In closing, I can't help but think of the Iraqi war veterans who will be condemned to a life time of catheters and diapers because Hillary Clinton and John McCain gave President Bush a blank check to start a war. Bitter, angry, and frustrated do not adqeuately describe my feelings. Right now, I want to cry.

  • Posted By: Zombiehero @ 05/03/2008 4:40:39 PM

    Comment: Good article, I'm very happy to see a pure unbiased article from Newsweek.
    Sadly the author is correct, SCJ aren't hotbed issues in politics, neither side wants to name the kind of justices they would appoint to the court, because they never know what they are going to get.

 
 
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