[ random acts of alex ]

Sit Back And Enjoy

Now that Bush has made his nominee announcement for the Supreme Court, here are a few things you'll hear going into the battle over whether or not he gets to actually replace O'Connor:

• "American values"
• "Roe v. Wade"
• "Strict Constitutionalist"

You're going to hear those three things until your ears bleed. Kinda like how the word filibuster still makes me feel a little nauseated after the last battle over judges. Come to think of it, you're going to hear the word filibuster an awful lot, too.

But for those of us who are going to stick it out, let's be clear. The first and last are catch-phrases that don't really mean anything. They just sound good. The second is what the coming fight is actually about: abortion. Conservatives can try and tie the nominee to bullet-points one and three until their heads turn blue, but it is actually about point two. Liberals will probably focus only on point two and pretty much ignore anything else about this guy, which is a mistake.

No matter which side of the abortion issue you're on, this will be entertaining. A big batle over this has been brewing for thirty years. Anything less than Howard Dean and Rush Limbaugh in a cage-match to settle it all will be a huge letdown.

posted by alex @ 7/20/2005 07:21:00 AM