I need help

... figuring out what the deal with Harriet Meirs is.

Here's what I know:

1) She's a lawyer who's spent no prior time on the judicial bench.
2) She's nominated to sit on the highest bench there is in this country (i.e., the Supreme Court, a.k.a. the power-mad robber barons of Massachusetts)
3) She's been nominated by Bush for three main reasons: 3a., she's a woman; 3b., she's an "Evangelical Christian;" and 3c., he admires her "character."

That's it, I haven't figured anything else out yet, other than the fact that pretty much everyone thinks nominating her was a rotten idea.

Without getting into the issue itself, at least here, I find the fact that so many people are nervous about her stance on abortion to be confusing. There are whispers -- loud ones -- in the air that if confirmed, she'll help overturn Roe vs. Wade, and the hint of that possibility inspires both groundless hopes from the pro-life movement and bitter shrieks of dismay from the pro-abortion side. I don't get it, because I can't see that happening -- abortion is too entrenched in American society at the moment for it to become banned, and every politician knows that. It's the same reason we won't have a draft any time soon, despite flagging recruiting numbers... no congressman wants his name to be the one on the bill first suggesting a change to either policy -- abortion or voluntary military service.

One thing that is clear to me is the ever-deepening divide between our two political parties. This is playing out like a very protracted and boring season of Ultimate Fighter, just without the clear winner at the end of each bloody cage-match.

And let's be honest. Right now, it would be great to see Tom DeLay get his teeth punched in by, oh, let's say Arnold Schwarzenegger, just because he's big and was in The Predator.

On another note entirely, has anyone caught anybody suggesting that the Bush administration caused the earthquake in Pakistan? I was just about to head over to the Democratic Underground to see if I could find a reference to that before the site moderators thought better of having it up there.

Just in case the earth really is falling apart, I picked up some special bottles of booze at our post Class 6 over the weekend. The only other thing I need is a seat with a good view when it happens.

-30-