re: #159 Obdicut

It’s the wimpiest of assaults, because it was not one. To the contrary, I believe that Dean Kagan is highly intelligent, articulate and ethical, and will serve the nation well, regardless of her political view point. I also believe that a President is entitled to tremendous deference in his or her choice of nominee.

I was merely musing about the tendency of presidents, on both “sides of the aisle”, to place a premium on avoiding bruising confirmation battles. Some might say that the system has been working, by forcing presidents to avoid extreme nominees, but I rather suspect that the nation is also being denied the services of some of our brightest scholars - of both the left and the right — as a result.