In other words, if Justice Sotomayor is simply there for interior decorating purposes, then the Roberts court goes on unchecked in its rollback of civil liberties and with respect to the power of Congress to address and remediate such matters as gender and racial discrimination. After that, who knows where the Roberts court goes, but I think it’s clear that Roberts would wholeheartedly endorse the constitutional theory of the unitary executive, Dick Cheney’s own pet constitutional theory, with support from Scalia and Thomas and Alito. If true, then there is only one vote that separates us from a country with an enforceable Bill of Rights and and enforceable checks and balances that preserve American democracy.

I hope Sotomayor has a judicial philosophy that vigorously competes with Roberts’, but I would not know it from her remarks through these confirmation hearings.

Trouble is, this GOP will attack whether or not there is reason to do so, whether or not there is a vulnerability allowing or meriting attack.

These Democrats have lost their voice and any self-knowledge for why they wanted public office. They are needlessly playing it safe and thereby squandering their possibilities, their talents, and our lives and pocketbooks.

Cheers for Mr. Franken for waking them up to the possibilities of public office. He doesn’t yet consider himself too street smart to do his job.

on edit: 96 was for you.

Nite, RF and happy b-day.

next year – same time, same place?

My daughter told me she see used to see this strange woman dancing in the plaza to a band in Sonoma. She would look a little closer and realize it was her mother. Glad she told me ten years later. The band was Gator Beat.

Clearly, Bob does not intend to wash my dishes so I’d better take off. Splendid cool evenings to all (in spirit if not actuality).

Good for you, Mary!

oh – that’s right – Mary did say that there was dancing involved.

oh well.