Supreme Cushion a.k.a. Half-Baked Court

There are some interesting theories abounding lately as to the rushed nature of Bush's Supreme Court nominees. John Roberts aggresive inability to answer questions not withstanding (one was lead to believe that even "how are you feeling?" could be met with an answer along the lines of: "answering that question might jeapoardize a future moment when I might be asked "how I was feeling", revealing the nature of how I might answer that question, and prejudicing my own answer as to how I answered previously, or signalling to the questioning party how I might already feel, suggesting they mightnot ask how I feel, so I won't answer that question"), he at least was a judge. Harriet Miers has the advantage of never having ever been a judge, avoiding the messy paper trail that could indicate any beliefs or belief system she has at all, except for her undying gratitutde and allegiance to the President, particularly when he apointed her to run the Texas State Lottery Commission.

Lottery Commission. You read correctly. That's who George has picked to become a Supreme Court Judge. One of nine judges in the land who have the final say on the law of the land, their purpose to be independent of the Executive Branch, to interpret law, untangle complex decisions rife with philospphical questions of the modern age, that would make the framers of our Constitution heads' spin.

And she reigned over the Lottery Commission. Just what John Adams, Jefferson and Ben Franklin would have hoped for. (Not to mention she very likely will be the deciding vote against legalized abortion in this country if she makes the bench - see "With Miers Bush Gets Fifth Vote Against Roe") (And not to mention, she may have helped hide W's National Guard derelcition of duty days.)(Woops)

At the same time, and seemingly on a parallel track, manequin-journalist Judith Miller, who has spent 86 days in jail protecting her source on the Valerie Plame investigation (the investigation to discover the origin of the leak that "outed" her once uncercover CIA operative status to the US media, who's husband, diplomat Joseph Wilson, was on a then anti-Bush tirade against their faulty intelligence justifying the then unstarted war agaisnt Iraq), suddenly voluntarily decides to suddenly un-protect her source, pop out of jail and testify in front of the grand jury, allowing Fitzgerald to finally close his case.

Well, a leak from the grand jury about the leak case has fingered Dick Cheney himself, and his chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby as potential indictment targets.

It's very possible the indictments will come down, and very possibly for some very real jail time and loss of power will rear its heads for some very real high level players in this government.

Unless...we are to look at the timing.

John Roberts is voted in as Chief Justice. Making it a very conservative majority ofthe now eight judges on the Supreme Court. And Judith Miller pops out of jail the next day like a piece of over done toast, allowing Fitzgerald to close a case that had been in limbo, waiting on her testimony.

Because if indictments come down on Cheney, and Libby, for some very real jail time for the very real crime of "outing" a CIA agent, there is only one recourse to protect them?

Presidential Pardon.

And that would create an outcry in half the population of the land, and be fought immediately in the Federal courts of Wasthington, who would not want the hot potato of course, or even if they did would find the case immediately appealed if the Govt. lost, which would bump the case up into the highest court in the land. The Supreme Court.

Where sits Bush's newest crony, and now awaits the next one.

And what if this new George Bush Supreme Court were to rule that the Presidential Pardon in this case were legal? Check Mate. Cheney and Libby are free, no crime has been committed. Everyone go back to raiding the treasury.

The Political Right in this country has always been two to three steps ahead in their game of political chess. Lacking a moral compass, they are quick to throw caution, common sense, tradition and precedent to the wind, as long as they can stay in power. (See Tom DeLay and his indictments) And it's sometimes hard for the rest of us to imagine the next move in their game of Souless Stratego, as it's only about keeping the power.

If this is indeed the plan, it's brilliant in it's empty Machiavellianism, but bufoonish on the face of it, as even extreme conservatives Trent Lott and George Will have had it with this administration's blatant attempts at self preservation to the point of desecrating the country's branches of government. When these Righties have to draw a line in the sand at W.'s lack of familiarity or appreciation of this country's great history in selecting law makers, one really has to sit up and take notice.

The Texas Lottery Commission.

Really now, is the President that stupid? That he thinks he can just put in all his friends and neighbors to the most important posts of the country with no training, and not have the country fall apart? The bottom line, of course, is that he just doesn't care.

Small man in a big job. Small selfish ideas win the day. Big problems come later down the line. He shrugs. We suffer.

The fall of his house of cards started with Katrina. I'm praying it's not forced to fall to the ground before he's stopped. Because we live in his house of cards.

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