Perhaps it is just lucky timing (except , of course, for Mr. Rehnquist.)
Turning to a man who knew Chief Justice William Rehnquist as "Boss" when he clerked for him 25 years ago, President Bush nominated Judge John Roberts Jr. as the nation's 17th chief justice early Monday and urged the Senate to quickly confirm him.
Less than 36 hours after learning of Rehnquist's death, Bush asked Roberts, 50, to take the center seat on the court instead of the seat held by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. With Roberts in the Oval Office, Bush said his nominee had "earned the nation's confidence" in the two months since he was nominated to replace O'Connor. Roberts would serve the country with distinction, the president said.
"It's fitting that a great chief justice be followed in office by a person who shared his deep reverence for the Constitution, his profound respect for the Supreme Court and his complete devotion to the cause of justice," Bush said.
The announcement came the day before the Senate Judiciary Committee was to start hearings on Roberts' nomination to replace O'Connor. His hearings will be delayed at least until after Rehnquist's body lies in repose at the court on Tuesday, followed by his funeral Wednesday.
Democrats said they would demand more information about Roberts' views because he was being considered for chief justice.
"This nomination certainly raises the stakes in making sure that the American people and the Senate know Judge Roberts' views fully before he assumes perhaps the second most powerful position in the United States," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a Judiciary Committee member who is an outspoken critic of Roberts. (Thanks to the Chicago Tribune via Yahoo!News.)
See Little Chucky Schumer shake his tiny fists at the sky in a fit of impotent rage.
Memo to BushMonkey, Rove, Cheney, et al.: You better come up with a conservative with a record we can see to replace O'Connor.
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