Roberts And The Next Associate

Bush's decisive nomination of John Roberts as Chief Justice is tactically smart, since it is his best shot of keeping interim control of the court out of the hands of liberal judge Souter.

Next up: the new Associate Justice. The new list is probably the old list sans Roberts: Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, Judges Edith Brown Clement and Edith H. Jones, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and Judges J. Michael Luttig and J. Harvie Wilkinson III, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

The NYT speculates that it will be Edith Clements. Smart speculation. Clements sits on the bench in New Orleans -- and if there's a place that could use a little civic pride right now, it's New Orleans. Plus, I don't think another white male is an option for Bush.