Vacancy at the Supreme Court – It’s Gonzalez’s Time

Vacancy at the Supreme Court – It’s Gonzalez’s Time

Most pundits predict a showdown around the nomination and confirmation of the successor to Sandra Day O’Connor. However, I see it differently. President G. W. Bush has a chance to make history. . . and it is a chance he will seize. While he peruses the shortlist of potential nominees, the Political Action Committees are gearing up for what has been billed to be an epic battle. How would they react to the nomination of Alberto Gonzalez to the bench?

Many Political Action Committees to the left would bring up the memos exposed by Seymour Hersch from the office of the White House Counsel purporting to support the use of torture in detention facilities under the control of coalition authorities. This is a claim they would interpret as reflecting on the importance of human rights and freedoms on the Bush agenda. They would try to frame Gonzalez as an opponent to individual human rights and freedoms. However, how much validity is there to this claim?

The response from the PACs to the right will be blistering. They will laud Gonzalez record and play the race card. Their messages would try to link the liberal PACs to the Democratic Party, thereby questioning the respect for minorities within the Democratic party. This sets a complicated stage for the mid-term elections, where the Democrats are seeking to capitalize on the slipping popularity of an increasingly lame duck president.

The response from the Democratic party itself would have to be resolute. As Sen. Minority leader, Harry Reid (D- Nev.) has noted over the last week, Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzalez would be a remarkable nominee to the Supreme Court. By endorsing Mr. Gonzalez candidacy, the Dems would show that they can rise above political wrangling and look at an individual’s credentials and track record. This would give them increasing credibility in any future fight, which may be created by the resignation of Chief Justice Renqhuist. Realistically, within the Bush camp, Alberto Gonzalez is the best bet for a supreme court nominee. It's all hypothetical right.