On Friday, when the first woman on the Supreme Court -- Sandra Day O'Connor -- announced her retirement, that Master of the Obvious, Rick Santorum, revealed this gem to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "the next Supreme Court justice could make it easier for conservatives to curb some abortions."
Well, duh. Hope he didn't hurt himself straining to come up with that original thought. Next he'll be telling us things like "Paris Hilton can't act."
Anyway, proving that he quickly memorized the right wing's Friday talking points, Rick told the Trib-Review "we don't want a judicial system that sees itself as the supreme branch of the government" and "judges should not be reinterpreting the Constitution at the drop of a hat."
Pennsylvania's other Republican Senator, Arlen Specter (who happens to chair the Judiciary Committee), had some strong words for Democrats who, like Santorum, are voicing their own vision of the next Justice. From Sunday's Meet The Press:
"When Senator Kennedy makes a statement that if the president doesn't make a nomination in accordance with Senator Kennedy's core views of the Constitution, that he's laying down a marker. You could say he's picking a fight. I don't think that's the best way to proceed," Specter said. "The very day that Justice O'Connor retires to come up with fighting words isn't in the best way to approach the issue."
Perhaps Senator Specter could have a word with his junior colleague, Santorum, about "laying down a marker."
