Last night I freaked out when Bush mentioned that he consulted with Sen. Leahy on the Roberts nomination. Did Old Pat really give this guy a pass? Today, this:
"No one is entitled to a free pass to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court," said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, senior Democrat on the committee that will question the 50-year-old appeals court judge later this summer.
and this, in his email to Democracy for America listmembers:
The American people deserve a justice who understands and respects the views of all the people of this great nation. The Supreme Court belongs to all Americans, including the 49 percent who made a different choice for President. Now that a nominee has been chosen, the debate begins on whether Judge Roberts will be such a jurist. We all have a stake in this process -- and a responsibility to evaluate this nomination on the basis of the facts and the issues of vital importance to ordinary Americans everywhere.
I knew the guy would hang tough. (Vermont's congressional delegation always represents. He basicly sums up my opinion on wether this thing is worth a fight. We might not have a chance of Borking Roberts, but that does not mean that the Democrats should shut thier mouths, as some have suggested. So what if Roberts is not pure evil? The confirmation hearing will be a great chance to interogate the conservative worldview.
We know how high the stakes are. With Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement, MoveOn, People for the American Way, and the rest of the big adovacy organizations are springing into action, preparing for a rumble.
I noticed that both PFAW and MoveOn did something interesting with this campaign—they asked for my cell phone number so that they could text message me when the nominee is announced. Here's why:
Both sides have prepared hour-by-hour chronologies of Supreme Court fights, ranging from the 73 days from nomination to confirmation for Justice David H. Souter in 1990 to 137 days for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1993. In a calculation akin to the "golden hour," in which paramedics race to get a critically ill patient to a hospital, Senate strategists have concluded that the first four to six hours will determine which side is left on the defensive. These minutely detailed strategies are ready to be activated regardless of whom Bush nominates.
Personally, I'm pumped. After Social Security, Bolton, The Nuclear Option, Darfur, The Downing Street Memos, just to name a few recent campaigns, the first mega-battle of the age of internet mass-mobilization is upon us. And this time, if we are serious about winning, we have to act with all the lightning speed of the digital world.
This is terrifying and hopeful at the same time. At the very least, I am thankful that technology has made this sort of civic participation possible. I know that I will join the swarm. I will drop everything and call my senators and send my letters to the editor as soon as the message arrives on my phone. I will attend a rally. I will plan my own rally if necessary.
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