"It's the Supremes, Stupid"

TO: All people of all political persuasions, particularly those who, at this moment in time, feel wobbly about voting for Obama.

John McCain about Justice Alito: "I supported him, I thought he was a magnificent choice, I spoke on his behalf from the floor of the Senate...I've said several times that I'd like to find clones for Justices Roberts and Alito."

"Every town hall meeting, I've said, we're going to have justices like Roberts and Alito."
- John McCain

"Let me just look you in the eye," McCain told me. I've said a thousand times on this campaign trail, I've said as often as I can, that I want to find clones of Alito and Roberts. I worked as hard as anybody to get them confirmed. I look you in the eye and tell you I've said a thousand times that I wanted Alito and Roberts. I have told anybody who will listen. I flat-out tell you I will have people as close to Roberts and Alito [as possible], and I am proud of my record of working to get them confirmed, and people who worked to get them confirmed will tell you how hard I worked."
- John McCain

Source for above quotes:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-03-13-judges_N.htm#appointments

McCain and the Supreme Court
by STEVEN G. CALABRESI and JOHN O. MCGINNIS
Wall St. Journal; February 4, 2008; Page A14

"The judiciary is different. On Jan. 20, 2009, six of the nine Supreme Court justices will be over 70. Most of them could be replaced by the next president, particularly if he or she is re-elected. Given the prospect of accelerating gains in modern medical technology, some of the new justices may serve for over half a century."

A look at judicial appointments by the numbers:

President (term)	Ronald Reagan (1981-89)	George H.W. Bush (1989-93)	Bill Clinton (1993-2001)	George W. Bush (2001-present)
Supreme Court	4	2	2	2
Appeals courts	83	42	66	57
Trial courts	290	148	305	237

Bush has made key appointments to:

• the U.S. Supreme Court: John Roberts, 53, and Samuel Alito, 57, are the nine justices and the youngest of the consistently conservative, and were in the Reagan administration.

• the prominent U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, regarded as a steppingstone to the Supreme Court: Janice Rogers Brown, 58; Brett Kavanaugh, 43; Thomas Griffith, 53; and, before he was elevated, Roberts. Perhaps the most controversial was Brown, who as a judge on the California Supreme Court earned a reputation as a bold advocate of property rights and an opponent of affirmative action.

OK. Enough Already. FISA Go Away.

I'm so over it. FISA. I have spent waaaay too much time sending out tortured emails, reading interesting blogs and idiotic blogs, reading their comments, wailing about character and courage, listening to Russ Feingold, sending Russ Feingold money, defending my position, and I'VE HAD IT. The only good thing to come out it is that my son has been regularly emailing me. Man, I'm exhausted.

People are spinning this to death, trying to make sense out of Obama's reversal and his vote; projecting on to him a 'higher purpose' to make such a bitter pill digestible. Listen, why not not spin it, accept that he made a gigantic mistake, twice. To me there is no possible excuse for what he did. Period.

That said, here's where I stand: I am moving on. Getting ready for the next fish fry. And, still working my heart out to get Obama elected. I have written about my 'marriage' to Obama, and I will put this down as having our first huge fight, doors slammed, I hid his flag pin, and I stalked out. Now I'm back.