Activist Judges

This is a perfect pick for the radical right who has somehow managed to twist the term "activist judges" into something that defines any judge who doesn't agree with their fringe views. Instead of calming the seas of an already stormy country, Bush chooses to further incite strife by trying to appease the nutjobs who want a judge who will interpret the constitution the way the founders intended (you know, the ones who barred women from voting and owned slaves).

Unlike the nomination of Miers, which was derailed Thursday by Bush’s conservative allies, Alito faces strong opposition from liberals.

On abortion rights, and based on a 1991 case in which he supported spousal notification, Alito favors more restrictions than either the Supreme Court has allowed or O’Connor has supported.

On gun rights, Alito in 1996 was the only appeals judge to vote against upholding Congress’ authority to ban fully automatic machine guns. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence sarcastically described “Machine Gun Sammy” as a “perfect Halloween pick.”

Alito had argued for greater state rights in reasoning that Congress had no authority to regulate private gun possession.

In the Senate, Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said lawmakers must “find out if the man replacing Miers is too radical for the American people.”

“President Bush would leave the Supreme Court looking less like America and more like an old boys club,” Reid added, referring to the fact that Alito is neither a woman nor a minority.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called it a “needlessly provocative nomination. Instead of uniting the country through his choice, the president has chosen to reward one faction of his party, at the risk of dividing the country.”

Well, let the games begin!