Today Show Aside: Supreme Court

When Katie Couric was running down the miserable poll numbers for Bush, she discussed some questions about the vacancy of the Supreme Court. In comparing the numbers of people who said Bush should nominate someone who was a "strict constructionist" versus someone who acknowledged "changing realities/changing times" (a poorly worded comparison, I might add), Couric blithely described this as the choice between a strict constructionist and a "judicial activist." Huh? Judicial activist is a made-up phrase by the far right to attack any judge -- including Republicans like Sandra Day O'Connor and Joseph Kennedy -- who dares to make any ruling they disagree with. It is not a "type" of judge -- since there is no such thing -- nor is it a type anyone would want to nominate. Just an aside on her part, but a very bad one.