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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Kenneth T. Walsh
Advisers say Obama's pick will draw controversy no matter who he chooses
Official Washington is bracing for another epic battle over President Obama's next nomination to the
Obama met last week with key senators to smooth the way, and he expressed confidence that "we can come up with a nominee who will gain the confidence of the
Obama's front-runners appear to be Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Merrick Garland of the
But the signs of struggle are already emerging. Kagan, considered by many in Washington as Obama's most likely choice, has prompted attacks from the right. One concern among conservatives is an E-mail she sent to students and faculty members in October 2003, shortly after she became dean of
"There's no 'Kumbaya' going on--it's gotten harsh and bitter," says historian Doug Brinkley. He traces the acrimony to President Nixon's controversial and unsuccessful high court nominations of Clement Haynsworth and Harrold Carswell in 1969 and 1970, respectively, and later, the defeat of Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork in 1987, and the divisive but successful nomination of Clarence Thomas by George H.W. Bush in 1991. "Now it's almost par for the course," Brinkley says. The pattern is for opponents to dredge up everything they can to harm a nominee, including books checked out of a library and movies rented from a video store. "We live in glass houses," he says, and the result too often is a media circus.
Every recent nominee has endured some form of the assault strategy, including Sonia Sotomayor, who was confirmed last year, and both John Roberts and Samuel Alito, who were nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed a few years ago.
"Regrettably, we are in a time where regardless of who is picked, there is a cottage industry around these nominations and around making these nominations political fights," says
Available at Amazon.com:
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The Political Fix: Changing the Game of American Democracy, from the Grassroots to the White House
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