View From the Bushes

I have spent most of the day involved in intense contract review and negotiation with the Content Management System we're thinking of purchasing. There was a time when I wanted to be a lawyer when I grew up, but days like this make me glad that I'm not. Of course the big problem is that we have to sign the contract today, or the heavily discounted offer we're getting is no longer valid. We were going to try and get it taken care of on Friday, but of course two of the really key people, our lawyer and our CIO, were out of the office. We'll see what happens, but trying to hammer all the disagreements on the day the contract has to be signed is probably not the best way to go about it.

Speaking of legal matters, Bush made another nomination for O'Connor's vacancy on SCOTUS, Samuel A. Alito, Jr. He's well know as being very conservative, so of course the Democrats already have their panties in a bunch. But here's my prediction: he's going to be confirmed. Here's my reasoning. The average joe on the street does barely know that the first nominee didn't work out; they don't know that it was the conservatives rather than the liberals who primary forced her out. All they know is that the President already tried once. So on this second attempt if the Democrats start to fillibuster, to the average joe on the street it's all going to be part of the narrative that people won't let Bush nominate who he wants to.

In other words, the only reason the Democrats wouldn't fillibuster is because of public perception (or the "Nuclear Option") and I think that the public may group the two nominations together and lay more obstruction at the feet of the Democrats than they really deserve, and as a result turn against them sooner than they might expect. In any case, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

SCOTUS watcher
Ross