by TChris

Howard Kurtz surveys (with, thankfully, little comment of his own) various reactions to the president’s decision to substitute the conservative John Roberts for the conservative William Rehnquist. The reaction most likely to stimulate severe illness comes from Pat Robertson, who is “thankful” that Hurricane Katrina may have “brought [Roberts] some good.” Perhaps Robertson was praying for a disaster that would kill thousands so that senators would be distracted from Roberts’ confirmation hearings.

Slightly less stunning is conservative Bill Kristol’s concern that by swapping a conservative Roberts for a conservative Rehnquist, the president may feel pressure to nominate a more moderate candidate for Justice O’Connor’s seat. Kristol thinks that would be a betrayal of the president’s base, and he fears that Attorney General Gonzales might be the “moderate” who would emerge from that scenario. The notion that Gonzales, who regards the Geneva Conventions as "quaint," is insufficiently conservative to satisfy the right wing is astonishing. Maybe the president should just go with his base and nominate Pat Robertson instead.