The Supreme Court

An opportunity for Bush—and a test

Conservatives are getting very nervous, said Robert Novak in the Chicago Sun-Times. The resignation of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has handed President Bush a truly historic opportunity to shape the nation's laws for decades to come. But his conservative base fears that he's leaning toward nominating Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales, a longtime Bush confidant, is not considered a reliable conservative vote on such key issues as abortion and affirmative action, which is why conservative groups have spent the past two weeks furiously shooting arrows at the White House's 'œGonzales trial balloons.' Bush was clearly peeved by that reaction, leaving the right nearly frantic with worry. 'œAl,' said the president, 'œis a great friend of mine,' adding, 'œWhen a friend gets attacked, I don't like it.' With the balance of power on the Supreme Court at stake, might Bush actually put personal loyalty ahead of principle?

Bush's Supreme Court choice will tell us a lot about him, said Steve Chapman in the Chicago Tribune. By far, the most critical issue facing the court is abortion, and Bush is now insisting that he will not make opposition to Roe v. Wade a 'œlitmus test' for his judicial picks. But for the past five years, he has been winking and nodding at his pro-life base, habitually invoking his desire to promote a 'culture of life,'' and insisting he'll appoint justices who are 'œstrict constructionists'—a judicial philosophy that precludes divining an unstated right to abortion in the Constitution. So far, Bush has managed to have it both ways, exploiting the zeal of the true believers while avoiding the political backlash that will come from a full-blown abortion battle. But now it's 'œput-up-or-shut-up time.'

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