The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

That Sinking Feeling

By The Prowler on 9.19.05 @ 12:10AM

(Page 2 of 2)

One reason Owen maybe be given greater consideration is the G.W. Bush's history with her, compared to G.H.W. Bush's history with Jones.

"Owen is tied to this President Bush. He fought for her, and she stood by him during that fight," says another White House source about Owen's long confirmation ordeal. "Jones is tied to the first President Bush. She was perhaps the alternate pick to [David] Souter. For this President Bush to pick the woman everyone now knows played second fiddle to his father's greatest mistake might be too much to ask for."

Another name that has moved quickly forward is former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, who would be nominated having served not a day on the bench. Thompson, though, is almost universally liked by the Bush Administration, worked closely with the President on the Corporate Fraud Task Force, and has no paper trail to speak of from his time in government.

However, Thompson, according to current and former associates, is believed by many to be a moderate Republican, with pro-abortion leanings. And while people point to his time as a scholar at the Brookings Institution after leaving the Department of Justice in 2003, there was no liberal like-mindedness in that move, according to Brookings sources. "We wanted a conservative, and Larry was someone we had targeted, particularly because of his ties to business. We thought he'd be good for fundraising," says a Brookings scholar.

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Business, Social Security, Abortion, Supreme Court