More Macaca

David Kurtz writes, at TPM, about the nomination of E. Duncan Getchell, Jr. to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Of course, he is a member of the Federalist Society (which is a minimum requirement for consideration for a judicial appointment these days), but went to a "real law school" (Duke) rather than a Christian academy. Yet, Kurtz observes, in Advice and Consent: The Bush Way, that we can be assured that his ideology is pure, since he was selected by President Bush from a list of recommendations provided by George "Macaca" Allen, the recently defeated Senator from Virginia, rather than Jim Webb, his successor. As Kurtz notes:

But as the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today, Getchell was not on a list of five possible nominees submitted to the White House by Virginia Sens. John Warner (R) and Jim Webb (D). Instead, Getchell had appeared on an earlier list submitted to the White House by Warner and then-Sen. George Allen (R), who Webb defeated last year:

"Today, despite our good faith, bipartisan effort to accommodate the president, the recommendations that Senator Warner and I made have been ignored," Webb said last night.

"The White House talks about the spirit of bipartisanship. . . . The White House cannot expect to complain about the confirmation of federal judges when they proceed to act in this manner," Webb added.

Webb said he and Warner jointly interviewed more than a dozen attorneys, received ratings of candidates from bar groups and submitted five "outstanding" names.

When will they ever learn (the Dumb Dems, that is)? The Republicans brook no opposition within their own party -- there's no way they are going to compromise with the Democrats. The importance of this appointment is also mentioned by Kurtz:

As the Times-Dispatch notes, a third of the 4th Circuit seats are open at the moment, which has left the reliably conservative appeals court evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. So the appointment of a Federalist Society member like Getchell, if confirmed, would help sway the idealogical bent of the court back to where the GOP base would like it to be--staunchly conservative.

Anyone want to venture a guess as to how the Democrats will go on this one?

Tags: Law, News, Politics