David Frum Joins In . . .

This may be the line I was looking for in responding to our Captain S.T. It comes from David Frum:

He should have chosen a justice who could lead by power of intellect, and not because she possesses 1/9 of the votes on the supreme judicial body.

This is so right on it hurts. I have been one of the President's biggest supporters, but this choice represents such offensively poor decision-making, I just can't stay on the boat any longer. If Bush were allowed to run for a third term, I'd support somebody else in a primary run.

The President's petulance in the press conference shows that he knows there is a lot of resistance on the right and he doesn't care. I mean, the guy is just aggressively anti-intellectual and this is one place where intellectuals really count. We've heard from the defenders who try to make it seem that this is about her law school or the fact that various conservatives wanted nominees they knew personally, but that's not it at all. The weeping and gnashing of teeth is over just what Kathy says it is: there are too many who have paid their dues and demonstrated exactly the abilities needed for the court.

The White House thinks that this mess will blow over in 48 hours. Not bloody likely. These disappointments are deep and abiding. If I were polled on the president's job approval number today, he'd be heading into the 30's or worse. When the Pres. has lost me, he's really lost.