The Death of Rehnquist

Now that shifts the balance, doesn't it? Yesterday, it seemed that the confirmation hearings for John Roberts would be subsumed into the coverage of the ongoing hurricane aftermath along the Gulf Coast. But now we get to see how well an angry press can juggle two important stories, because with the knowledge that we know a second nomination is in the offing, the hearings are elbowing their way back to center stage.

We'll have a chance to see up close how quickly the debacle of disaster relief will be reflected in the national dialogue when it comes to other issues. Even more of the public has lost faith in the administration's ability to perform, but will that translate to second-guessing Bush's choice--soon to be plural, of course--of Supreme Court justices? Now that the Chief Justice slot has opened up, the stakes we're playing for are obvious. It's not a surprise that it opened up--we knew it would, either as a result of Rehnquist's resigning or, as it happened, his death--but the reality of it necessarily imparts a greater gravity. As a nation, do we think we can trust George W. Bush and his administration? Will they be able to spin the relief problems as "mistakes were made," or will those problems stick to them and become part of the administration's identity? Will Democrats begin to act as a real opposition? (Remind me some day to write the post I've been formulating on how the Repubs don't actually have anything to worry about because, no matter how seriously they stumble, the Dems refuse to offer a viable alternative.) The Roberts hearings will allow the first glimpse of whether we'll be dealing with an administration reeling back on its heals or, as has seemed to happen so far, one that shakes off the troubles and stumbles forward heedlessly.