Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader found himself in front of the TV this morning repeating to himself “Janice Rodgers Brown… Janice Rodgers Brown…” before the big announcement was made. After the announcement was made he said to himself, “Harriet who?”

Talk about dark horse candidates. Was she on anyone’s short list? Anyone’s long list?

You know, your Maximum Leader wasn’t disturbed by the Roberts nomination in the way so many were. He felt that if John Roberts had been vetted by the Reagan Administration years ago that was a good sign. (Remember, to be appointed to the Reagan Administration two questions had to be answered correctly. 1 - Was the person a conservative? 2 - Did they support Ford in 76? The correct answers were “Yes” and “No.”) So the question in your Maximum Leader’s mind for Roberts was “Has he changed in 20 odd years?” Your Maximum Leader feels as confident as one can be on these things that Roberts hadn’t.

But 30 minutes into the appointment process for Harriet Miers your Maximum Leader isn’t filled with warm tinglies.* This is not to say that your Maximum Leader thinks that only sitting (or former) judges should be appointed to the Supreme Court. He doesn’t believe that. It is to say that he doesn’t see how he is going to “get to know” Harriet Miers. She is not going to be forthcoming in her opinions on anything (as no nominee has been for about 15 years now). And one presumes at this point that she has very little in the way of a written record.

So far, your Maximum Leader is not pleased at all. Stay tuned to see if his opinion changes…

Carry on.

Warm tinglies.. Your Maximum Leader once dated a girl who caused the terms “warm tinglies” and “cold pricklies” to enter his vocabulary. They are simple descriptors; and at the same time remarkably evocative of emotion. Your Maximum Leader hasn’t felt the cold pricklies yet on this issue… But he has a feeling he will before all is said and done.