According to the Drudge Report (http://www.drudgereport.com) President Bush is considering the nomination of Justice Clarence Thomas as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Thomas is said to be his favorite for the post. It makes sense because Thomas is fully qualified, the youngest of all the justices, is conservative but not part of the radical right wing. He was nominated for the court by Bush (41) so it would ba natural to be elevated by Bush 43. This would be a defining moment in President Bush's presidency since Thomas would be the first person of African extraction to become Chief Justice. It would be very difficult for any to oppose Thomas without being accused of racism, and he is already sitting on the court. He has written numerous opinions and his record available for all to see. If President Bush followed that with a nominee of Hispanic extraction for the seat vacated by Thomas, his record in the minority would be impecable. The Congressional Black Caucus would find it difficult to not support Thomas. Of course they would not have a vote since all are Representatives and the Senate has the confirmation process. BTW, I predicted that Thomas would become Chief Justice before his retirement.

Be blessed

pastor paris

-- Anonymous, November 08, 2004

Answers

Personally, I think Scalia is a better choice as Chief Justice. Scalia is the smartest Justice on the bench and he has nearly twenty years of experience as an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court. Thomas is an intriguing choice as Chief Justice and I would unequivocally support his nomination. He is already the most influential black American today (by virtue of his office) followed by Colin Powell and Condi Rice. I would expect a spirited (not to be confused with spiritual) dissent if Thomas is nominated as Chief Justice but in the final analysis such criticism won't matter. Most folks (90%) haven't even taken the time to read any of Thomas's Supreme Court opinions and base their opinion only on the issue of affirmative action. QED

-- Anonymous, November 08, 2004

Bush should nominate Scalia so Thomas can continue to play follow the leader. If he is not part of the radical right wing then there is no radical right wing.

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2004

Harold,

How do you know that Thomas is following Scalia? Is it possible for a black man to lead a white man? It is Thomas' nature to shun the public. I daresay none of us had heard of him before his elevation to the high court. It seems to me that some of us black folk just cannot stand and independent thinking black man such as Thomas. Any black person who does not subscribe to the "black agenda" without thinking has his "black" card revoked.

In a situation such as this, if Thomas was the most liberal justice, I as a staunch conservative, could support him if for no other reason than to open the door for aother blacks. As I have said before, history will treat Justice Thomas much more kindly than his black brethern.

Be Blessed

al paris

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2004

I'm hoping Justice Thomas will be nominated and approved by the Senate. I expect wailing and gnashing of teeth by some in the black community if he becomes Chief Justice.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2004

Supreme Court opinions are derived independent of what other Justices write or how they vote. There is no collusion among the Justices. Furthermore, the late Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and William Brennan voted "together" on nearly 75-80% of cases. Brennan, another appointment Eisenhower regretted (like Earl Warren), wrote the second most number of opinions during his prodigious 34 years on the bench. I don't recall folks saying that Marshall voted as a pawn of Brennan even though the latter was the indisputable intellectual leader and their opinions on matters like individual rights, criminal justice, abortion, school choice and racial justice were virtually identical. QED

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2004