Abroad At Home; Playing With The Court
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The collapse of his second successive nomination to the Supreme Court tells us much about Ronald Reagan. It shows us the price we pay for having a President who in even his most solemn appointing function is driven by narrow interests of politics and ideology. The collapse of his second successive nomination to the Supreme Court tells us much about Ronald Reagan. It shows us the price we pay for having a President who in even his most solemn appointing function is driven by narrow interests of politics and ideology. How could a President who talks about the need for law and order pick as a Supreme Court nominee someone who illegally used marijuana when he was a law professor? How could a President who has proclaimed the war against drug abuse fail to be informed of that easily discoverable fact about his nominee? The questions are not hard to answer. President Reagan was interested in only one thing when he made his choice for the Court: stuffing a conservative down the throats of the Senators who had defeated Robert Bork. In the rush to revenge there was no time for care in scrutiny. The partisan, ideological motivation was clear from the start in Mr. Reagan’s nomination of Judge Douglas Ginsburg. The choice was urged on him by Attorney General Meese and other zealots. The White House Chief of Staff, Howard Baker, counseled selection of a conservative whose qualifications would assure easy confirmation. But the President did not want a Justice. He wanted a fight. More : query.nytimes.com |