Wednesday, May 21, 2008

My Woefully Unproductive Day

Today has been probably my worst day at work in months. I'm hoping that I can snap out of this right quick, but I'm not going to hold my breath. So, with that, some things that caught my eye today.

First, in case you missed it, the Celtics jumped out to a 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit, winning 88-79. The C's looked really good, and at one point Van Gundy noted that if you just watched the way the C's played and paid no attention to the score, you'd think they blew Detroit out of the New Garden. Pierce was on point again, KG completely out-played Rasheed Wallace, and Rajon Rondo actually outdueled Chauncy Billups. Still, the Celtics never ran away with it, even with the Pistons playing a sub-par game. Scary.

Next, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that Obama and American Jews have a very uneasy relationship. But, as Thomas Friedman pointed out a few days ago, which would be better for Israel? Competent U.S. foreign policy leadership, even if it is critical of Israel, or four more years of an American president squandering this nation's political capital abroad?

Among the things I'm glad I'm not doing this week: sitting on the R. Kelly child pornography case's jury.

Obama's going to win. What's the next stop for HRC? Some say the Supreme Court. That would give us a second woman justice, and it would give HRC's supporters a reason to vote Obama. But...really? Senate confirmation could be a breeze, but how quickly do you think that Republicans would abandon their "no fillibuster" mantra if she was nominated? She may be a first-rate legal mind, but Justice Clinton might be a stretch. Still, I'd love to see her and Scalia mix it up, majority and dissent style.

10 comments:

Dews said...

Gonna pee on you, drip drip drip.

Dave Chappelle, WHERE ARE YOU???

SayHey Kid said...

And another thing about Jim Rice......

Nah, Just kidding. I am pulling for the Celtics. The Celtics (If they can play like they did in the regular season) is the only team that looks to beat the Lakers. I dont know about you but Im sick of seeing Kobe's face on tv all the time!

Dews said...

Also pulling for the Celtics, but only because its gonna be on at out apartment in beautiful HD, so I gotta pick a team thats at least somewhat meaninful to where I'm from (I guess anyway).

Besides, I've like Garnett for a long time so I'd like to see him get a ring.

Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe said...

What, not a Bullets fan?

Dews said...

I liked the Bullets, but I think the "Wizards" are kinda geigh.

I was a big Dennis Rodman fan when he still played, so I would pull for his team at the time, whether Bulls, Spurs, Pistons, etc.

SayHey Kid said...

Rodman is the "greatest of all time".....at least to me!

Of any Boston sports team, I have never hated the Celtics. Ive always respected their history and tradition. Not bad for a Warrior fan (Fucking Robert Parish trade still bothers me)

Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe said...

If he does well in Game 2, I'm going to make Friday "Kendrick Perkins" Day on LSWTF.com

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

I heard that about HRC today as well and I think that may be the best position for her. Get her away from any lobbyist and back to what I think she is really passionate about. HRC would be a great addition to the SC, but who would the other two be?

Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe said...

The other two justices? Everyone has a list, and I wouldn't put any faith in any of them. I think the current formula for a Supreme Court justices works like this 1) top tier law school graduate 2) distinguished law practice 3) and a judicial record that isn't too long, meaning there's something there, but not enough to really criticize the nominee about. That was the formula with Roberts and Alito.

McCain is going to pick someone like those two, although conservatives have begun a movement to pick a lawyer with no judicial experience. I think they want to pick someone who will not be part of what conservatives feel is a toxic culture among federal judges.

Obama probably won't depart from that formula too much, but I think he'd add an additional criteria: whether this person has some sort of public service outside the judiciary. He talks a lot about values, and he has experience as a community organizer. He'll pick someone with impeccable credentials plus someone who spent some time doing some public service work.

The other wild card will be gender and race. If Ginsberg retires, women will want another woman, and I'd hate to be the President who lets the Court go back to being all male. On race, there are plenty of folks who say that its time for the first Latino or Asian justice.

On religion, Scalia recently got questioned about how he felt about the Court being mostly Catholic (Scalia, Roberts, Alito, Kennedy, and Thomas are Catholic). People might get antsy if another Catholic were nominated, but it's probably not a huge deal.

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

What about someone like Associate Justice Carlos R. Moreno from California's Supreme Court who got a unanimous vote for a position by the Senate in the late 90s. He has been the head of the Mexican Bar association or something. Not the youngest, born in 1948, but seems to have the right background.

Carol A. Beier of the Kansas Supreme Court may also be another one worth looking at.