Politico has shot down the rumor that Obama administration insiders are floating the idea of Hillary Clinton as a replacement for John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court. The scuttlebutt started when Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch praised Hillary on The Today Show and said she’s a possibility for the high court. The White House is now denying that Hill’s name is on the short list.
And no wonder. Trying to push a Clinton nominee through the Senate vetting process — even though Dems enjoy comfortable majorities on the Judiciary Committee and in the Senate proper — would entail a gory fight. The fact that Hillary has a such a long (and sordid) political track record makes her nomination all but prohibitive. After the health-care overhaul fight, Obama doesn’t want a drawn-out confirmation process, particularly leading into the midterms. Look for a less political, though no less radical, nominee.
Still, it would have been fun to see her demeanor from the bench, given her quintessential short fuse.
