Bush's Lost Opportunity with the Supreme Court

As much as I hate giving the devil a good idea, I am also such a student of the game of chess that I can't help but toss my two cents worth in when I see a lost opportunity for a master stroke. Even for our Pretendent, George W. Bush.

He missed a golden and chased-with-platinum opportunity in making his nomination for the Supreme Court seat recently vacated by Sandra Day O'Connor.

He should have nominated Robert C. Byrd, the Democratic Party's Methusela Senator from the Mountain State.

Right now, Byrd is ramping up a record run at his re-election. No one wants to fight him, as he is all but a juggernaut. A living legend.

He is considered an expert on Constituional Law, certainly as worthy as a party machine hack lawyer for the job.

Nominating him would create an incredible sideshow to distract from the critical faux pas of the last few years. I don't think he would've refused the honor. Too big a shot at an even grander stage.

But at his age a "lifetime appointment" only goes so far. That, and his nomination would leave open his seat in West Virginia, make it contestable by the Republican Party.

Plus, it would've given the Republicans a great opportunity to dredge up his ancient legacy of opposition to civil rights, allowing them to tar the Democratic Party with a charge of racism to help drive a wedge betwixt them and key minority votes in next year's crucial mid-term elections. All in all, a master stroke.

Yes, tarring Byrd with his racist past is like declaring the Republican Party the home of coke-snorting frat boys (as that was what their current mediocratic ruler was at the same time Byrd was still hanging tough with the Dixiecrats) but it doesn't matter. When did politics ever hinge on reality as opposed to imagery?

I just wanted to say, as a Democrat who is supporting Byrd in his re-election bid, I am glad that the dark side forces of Emperor Rovenstein aren't that clever, but they did miss a great opportunity here. Maybe there is some balance returning to the farce that is Washington politics.

Or, maybe, just maybe, there is more than meets the eye to this whole spectacle.