Jeff Goldstein has a long post up on the levee breaches and why it took so long to plug them (something I find interesting, since it still boggles my mind that the solution was ‘big sandbags,’), and when you are done reading that, go hit his tip jar, as he had to move to a dedicated server.
Also, you can treat this as an open thread on the Roberts confirmation hearings, which I am too busy to follow. If anything interesting happens, let me know.
Trent
Can’t we just play the blame game again?
Geek, Esq.
I may have to eat crow on Roberts–I’ll probably wind up supporting his nomination after all.
Of course, if I have to eat crow, then all of the movement conservatives will be eating a double serving.
Jorge
I can’t really think of any reason to not confirm Roberts other than the fact that he is a conservative. Which, of course, is not a valid reason at all. The man seems to have proven to be a good lawyer and a very capable legal mind. I’m sure that given my politics I will probably find myself disagreeing with Roberts. But there is no question that he is very qualified to for the job.
Trent
My guess is we won’t be too thrilled with Robert’s decisions in the coming years, but i agree, i think he’ll be confirmed easily.
I hope he truly becomes the benevolent, modest Justice that he claims he is. But my gut is telling me it’s all pretty contrived.
As Bill Maher said, the time to argue about the Supreme Court was the election. This is what Bush won.
Sucks but true.
Krista
Well, I’ll be damned…
I don’t like the man, but I have to give credit where it’s due, and I think that this is the smartest thing he’s said since this whole thing happened.
Trent
By “this thing”, do you mean his PResidency? lol
I was floored as well.
jg
He’s only been a judge for 2 years. I want more experience than that as a supreme let alone the chief justice. His umpire analogy was way off. Bush picked him for a reason. The people aren’t allowed to explore that reason? He’s essentially interviewing for a job yet the people aren’t allowed to ask him questions so that we can get a sense of what his job performance would be? This country’s gone wacko.
Trent
Yea, i agree it’s a dumbass argument. I think that’s why i have trouble getting up in arms about the whole thing.
Defense Guy
They can ask, but he is not under any obligation to speculate on how he would rule on any issue.
The it has been there since at least Ginsberg, because she was not forced to answer questions under the same reasoning as I gave above.
jg
He said don’t read my old papares and think you know me and I won’t answer direct questions about how I rule on issues. Why should he get the job? You think he said the same to Bush when he was choosing him?
I was a little young during the Ginsburg hearing but from what I’ve read she did answer questions, lots of them. there are some that can’t be asked, just like with Roberts, but she didn’t stonewall on everything no matter what the attack ad says. (yes they are playing Ginsburg commercials in Arizona to get people behind Roberts’ refusing to answer anything, they are building public support for something the public shouldn’t support, partisan support of course, talking points to use agsainst liberal friends).
I want to know if Roberts thinks we have a right to privacy. I see no reason why he can’t answer that.
Defense Guy
Be honest jg, you just want to know if he will seek to overturn roe v. wade. The attempts to get him to answer pre-determined questions about the law are just attempts to box him in on generalities. The problem is, the cases that he will hear are built on specifics.
No judge should ever have to answer how he will rule on a case that he has not yet even heard. It is absurd.
TallDave
This is nothing. Get ready for the real battle when Janice Rogers Brown is nominated.
That is going to be insane.
Trent
She won’t even get out of the gate…
I’ll be frank, as a liberal, i hate the whole Roe v Wade shit. It’s tedious. On both sides. Granted, i support abortion rights…
goonie bird
Becuase the eco-freaks were so worried aboutt he levee invisible guppie and the stoped the repair