And not a fact in sight.
Busy day in SCOTUS-land. Not for soon-to-be-Chief Justice
Roberts, but the person whose fanny will fill the O’C seat.
Here’s what we’re hearing. Gonzales is still very much in play.
As reported here earlier today, he was in Florida yesterday for a
speech before police chiefs. During a Q and A session that
followed, his comments about his admiration for Chief Justice
Rehnquist could be perceived as either pandering of the first
order, or generous humility. People we speak to, who work and have
worked for Gonzales, say he really has no burning desire to be on
the court, not in the same way others have. But if asked, he
probably wouldn’t turn it down.
In that regard, one White House source says that one of the
arguments put forward for Gonzales as a nominee is that people who
really know him (the President, Karl Rove), know him to be
a reliable conservative, who would be less likely to go wobbly in
the crunch. That sounds fine, but who knows? Certainly not the
base.
As for other nominees, the list appears to be dwindling.
According to Capitol Hill sources, a list of potential nominees
that was floated late last week had five names: Edith Hollan
Jones, Emilio Garza, Alice Batchelder, Karen Williams, and Michael
Luttig.
The name to focus on is Williams, who currently sits on the 4th
District bench. In the past 24 hours, her name appears to have
taken on the same kind of airborne quality as that of Larry
Thompson’s two weeks ago. It may be lifting off because of real
momentum or just hot air.
Williams is known to be reliably grounded, bright and
talented.
Either way, this is the parlor game of the moment in Washington,
and it’s one we political junkies love to play.
