We learned in May that the White House, two months before there was even a vacancy on the Supreme Court, contacted the Christian Legal Society to see who the far right would like to see on the highest court in the land.
But now that there’s an actual vacancy, and the Bush gang is putting together a short list, the advice process is getting more serious, as evidenced by Senate leaders meeting with the president this week to discuss the potential candidates and political expectations.
Asked about the process, Bush said on Wednesday that “the American people can rest assured that I understand the seriousness of this responsibility, and that I will name somebody who will bring dignity to the Court.” That’s a little hard to believe that when the White House is reaching out to Jerry Falwell for input.
It is not just Democrats that the White House is seeking out for ideas. The Bush administration has also been consulting with its political allies outside the Congress.
“Someone from the White House called me yesterday, asking for any input I might have,” said the Rev. Jerry Falwell, the founder of the Moral Majority and chancellor of Liberty University in Virginia.
In this case, Falwell didn’t have much in the way of advice — he said he would simply trust Bush and pray for him — but the fact that he was sought out for guidance speaks volumes about what kind of White House we’re dealing with.
As my friends at AU noted:
Imagine the howls of indignation and outrage from America’s right-wing punditry if Sen. John Kerry had been elected and was now reaching out to Michael Moore for “input” on picking a Supreme Court justice.
Quite right. If Kerry solicited Supreme Court advice from Moore, we’d hear cries that Dems are “out of touch” and overly influenced by “liberal Hollywood elite.” Fundarising letters would be churned out; Fox News would do specials about the revelation; and members of Congress would be tripping over each other to denounce Kerry’s poor judgment. And yet here we have the Bush White House reaching out to a disgraced TV preacher, asking him for suggestions to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.
In fact, the Moore-Falwell analogy isn’t equivalent — on his worst day Michael Moore is meek and modest compared to Falwell.
We are, after all, talking about one of the nation’s most despicable anti-American demagogues, attacking anyone not like himself, and even blaming Americans for 9/11 just 48 hours after the attacks.
I mean, really. When looking for suggestions about a high court nominee, the Bush White House turned to a man who issued a “parental alert” warning that Tinky Winky might be gay and part of the “homosexual agenda.”
What’s more, there’s no real outrage about the White House reaching out to Falwell on this. Since it was mentioned in the New York Times, few have even raised an eyebrow.
No one finds this strange because it’s expected that top White House officials maintain an ongoing dialog with lowlifes like Falwell. Considering his record of hate and division, reasonable people and polite society should make him a pariah. Instead, the White House is soliciting advice from him about the future of the federal judiciary.
The mind reels.