1115.org

While none of the current Supreme Court Justices have yet indicated that they are stepping down, anticipation of such an occurrence has caused groups on both the right and the left to go into high alert. For conservative groups, the chance to reverse Roe vs. Wade and gain judicial allies on other hot-button issues such as school prayer and gay marriage has become somewhat of a Holy Grail. And while they weren’t able to push through the “nuclear option” on George Bush’s previous judicial nominees, a vacancy on the Supreme Court is a whole ‘nother ball game, and stakes are high:

Within a day after President Bush taps a Supreme Court nominee, a conservative group with an $18 million budget for the confirmation fight plans to be on the air with a heartwarming ad featuring vintage photos of the candidate to try to cement a sympathetic portrait.

An abortion rights group is poised to shoot a detailed e-mail to 30,000 “rapid responders” who will help generate a barrage of calls to senators and letters to editors saying the landmark Roe v. Wade decision could be in danger. About 800,000 supporters will receive a more general warning and call to arms

With millions of dollars readied for a coming nomination fight, one thing can be certain—it’s going to be ugly. While no one yet knows who Bush will put forward, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has taken the initiative and offered his own suggestions…and they are not who you might think.

U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid suggested on Tuesday that four of his Republican colleagues be considered by President Bush if a vacancy occurs on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Seeking a possible consensus nominee, Reid recommended Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mel Martinez of Florida, Mike DeWine of Ohio and Mike Crapo of Idaho.

Reid described them all as bright and able lawyers who would be strong additions to the nation’s highest court.

While some fellow Democrats might be aghast at Reid’s suggestion, we have to face reality here. With Republicans controlling both the Presidency and the Senate, the chance of Bush offering a liberal—or even a moderate—candidate hovers somewhere between none and none. Faced with such a situation, Reid played it pretty smart. By backing a variety of Republicans for an empty seat before it is even vacated, he has positioned the Democratic response as something more than the simple “obstructionism” that the administration talking points have repeated ad nauseum. Also, Reid’s early compromise puts the spotlight more firmly on the President; will George Bush respond in kind, or will he ignore the gesture in order to force through a more extreme candidate? My money would still be on the latter, but with a few more weeks or months of sagging poll numbers, one never knows; to claim an easy “victory” might be more important than fighting another partisan blood war.