Will the Supreme Court become a kangaroo court that threatens our human rights?

When Sandra Day O'Connor announced her intention to retire from the Supreme Court in July, many of us expected Bush to nominate his buddy Alberto ("Torture Boy") Gonzales. Instead, he nominated John ("Wholesome Shoo-In With Blond Kids") Roberts.

Soon thereafter, when Chief Justice Renquist died, many of us expected Bush to nominate Gonzales. Instead, he elevated Roberts to the bigger gig.

So then many of us expected a Gonzo Torture Boy nomination to the once-again-vacant O'Connor spot. Instead, Bush pulled Harriet Miers out of thin air.

Now that Miers has been unable to stand the heat and has chosen to leave the kitchen, will Gonzo get the nod?

Or will Bush nominate an even more extreme right-winger to appeal to the hardcore conservatives who challenged the Miers nomination?

Or is Bush starting to realize that he doesn't hold as much political capital as he thought he did?

Time will tell.

Meanwhile, something to consider: Bush could conveniently time a Supreme Court nomination to change the subject and distract us from any Plamegate indictments that might hit the fan today.

The good news: At least we'll still have O'Connor on the Court for a while, since she promised to stay on until a successor is confirmed. We should be thankful for that small victory.