Did you miss me?

There haven't been any posts from me here at Middle Earth Journal for nearly a week, and for this I apologize. But then again, I won't apologize all that much. I've been on vacation off in the wilderness. Upon my return there is certainly a lot to comment on, but one piece in the Paper of Record this morning really caught my eye.

Arlen Specter, as we all know, is an aging, moderate Republican. He's not exactly a progressive voice, but he's been a far cry better than many of his more demogogic wingnut counterparts from the theocon cabal. He's going to be retiring very soon, which puts his Senate seat up for a very heated and important battle in the Keystone State. Should we be sad over this? Maybe not. Today's news indicates that maybe old Arlen is a wee bit past his "best served by" date.

Specter Suggests a Chief Justice: O'Connor

Senator Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, suggested on Sunday that President Bush could name Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring from the Supreme Court, to the position of chief justice if it opens up.

"I think it would be very tempting if the president said to Justice O'Connor, 'You could help the country now,' " Mr. Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania and a pivotal player in any confirmation hearings, said in an interview on the CBS program "Face the Nation." "She has received so much adulation that a confirmation proceeding would be more like a coronation, and she might be willing to stay on for a year or so."

Love her or hate her, there's a lot good to be said about Sandra Day O'Connor. However, Mr. Specter may not have been paying attention when it was revealed that Ms. O'Connor was moving to the Southwest to care for her husband, who is alleged to be suffering from Alzheimers and in need of her company and care. O'Connor has already given a large portion of her life to public service, and trying to guilt her back to the bench now would be a rather ugly move. We may or may not like what we wind up with for a replacement, but she's clearly given above and beyond the call. Let's let her go take care of her family and live in peace.