[Prudence]

As much as I am worried about individual rights, I'd really rather see a nominee who likes the Constitution. I mean, really likes it. Thinks it's a swell document and can't wait to do their part to preserve it. Not someone who's sufficiently skillful that they can spin the Constitution in whatever direction they're told. It's supposed to be an independent judiciary, dammit. Independent. Not appointed by the President and vetted by Congress for the purpose of ensuring laws will be interpreted in ways pre-approved by corporate sponsors.

Okay. I've been holding this in all weekend and I'm gonna let it out now.

I'm just sick at the thought of Roberts as Chief Justice. And it has absolutely nothing to do with him or his anticipated rulings or whether he's conservative or constructionist or whatever. This is my personal opinion shaped by my own irrational whims and biases and counts for nothing in this wide world. But dammit, that's the pinacle of the whole damn judiciary. Can't we at least pretend we respect the judicial system? Can't we do Lady Justice the honor of appointing a seasoned court veteran to be her most visible champion? It's all well and good to appoint "new guy" with limited bench time to an associate position, but must he be given the reins as well? When you have Scalia, who I disagree with on a regular basis but who I truly believe loves that Constitution, available -- and conservative -- it is Roberts who is selected to vault over those who should rightly be considered his superiors? If Roberts were a highly respected Constitutional scholar from outside whose laundry list of credentials clearly marked him as the equal of any sitting member -- then maybe. But someone so comparatively inexperienced?

Do you understand that I quite literally weep for the court? That in my heart lies a seed of dread that this truly marks the end of a era? That the highest court in the land will no longer serve as that most remarkable third anchor in our series of checks and balances, but will toss off all pretense and embrace its new role of enforcing the will of the latest power bloc?

Yes, it's melodramatic. I'm sure life will continue as always and we'll sock away funds into our meagre 401(K)s and plot our tax deductions and plan kitchen remodels and argue over graduation standards and tsk tsk at kids these days -- just as if nothing were happening at all.

But I will watch Justice O'Connor weep and my heart will weep with her.