My favorite custom of the Supreme Court Justices is their insistance on not clapping or, indeed, overtly showing any emotional response during the State of the Union Address. Not only do I respect the tradition itself, I respect the justices for upholding it. It retains the appearance of what should remain the crucial, impartial branch of our government.
The first time I heard that Harriet Miers had described George Bush as "the most brilliant man" she had ever met, my reaction was something between amusement and confusion. Is this administration trying to destroy the longstanding impartiality of the Supreme Court? Imagine how much easier it would be to push the convervative agenda if the judicial branch were allowed to be overtly partial.
Having thought about the "most brilliant man" quote (and other, similar correspondence that has come to light) I can't help but wonder if the administration's
real goal in submitting Ms. Miers to the Supreme Court is NOT specifically to overturn Roe v. Wade, nor to futher force Protestant Christianity into our daily lives, nor even to fill every corner of D.C. with Bush supporters. Maybe tehir real goal is the open politicization of the judicial branch.
Maybe the reason the Right has only gotten a wink-and-a-nod with regards to Miers is because this administration is trying to hijack the entire judicial branch. They just can't talk about it until after it's done.
It's this year's Shock and Awe campaign.