Stories I’d assign: Justice O’Connor

Another barometer of the press losing its head under Bush came when Justice Sandra Day O’Connor stepped down last year. The NYTimes lauded her as an essential centrist, a fine judicial mind who balanced her opinions and offset in Scalia and Thomas. At 75, few mentioned her reasons for her retirement or its timing. Now she comes back into view as a member of the Iraq Study Group. So you have to wonder: why DID she step down? Rumors were that her husband was ailing. But how come she signed right up for this high-profile committee? This looks more and more like a political move from one of the court’s most sainted non-political figures… with her replacement John Roberts kicked up to Chief Justice for good measure. Where’s the article that puts it plainly: O’Connor answered some political call to let Bush pack the court. She’s no centrist. She’s never been forced to answer a simple enough question like “Explain your vote on Gore v. Bush in 2000.” And she’s never answered her reasons for leaving, given that she’s perfectly happy to sit in with James Baker’s band.