Bush not popular, thus he can't pick who he wants on USSC

That's the assertion by liberal Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson. His quote:

"A more popular or successful president might be more in a position to nominate the kind of justice he really wants. But as events deteriorate abroad and as a majority of Americans have grown dissatisfied at home with the overall direction of the country, there is more pressure on Bush than there was three years ago to pick someone who will not conduct the feared Sherman's march through abortion rights, affirmative action, and federal protections for ordinary citizens."

Wow. Constitutional scholars everywhere should thank Mr. Jackson for articulating a new standard heretofore undiscovered in the document: Presidents may only appoint justices they want so long as they are deemed "popular" or "successful" by political opponents interpreting the latest round of public opinion polls.

By the way, according to an ABC News poll, Bill Clinton's approval rating in June 1993 was 43%. That's when he nominated Race Baiter...er, Ruth Bader...Ginsburg. So according to Jackson, he shouldn't have chosen someone so liberal. Here's guessing that Jackson didn't think the Ginsburg nomination was a bad idea.

By the way, the Democrat-controlled Senate confirmed Ginsburg 96-3. Yep, nearly all Republicans voted to confirm Ginsburg, despite her socialist leanings. Why? Because they thought she was intelligent enough and qualified enough...plus, they felt that the president (however much he was reviled by the electorate) had a right to his pick. Clearly, Democrats don't govern nearly so diplomatically.