This week President Bush nominated Glen Conrad to the Richmond-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Conrad serves as a U.S. district judge in Roanoke; Sens. John Warner and Jim Webb support the choice. Democrat Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, greeted the nomination warmly. Steve Agee, a justice on the Virginia Supreme Court, appears headed toward confirmation for a seat on the 4th Circuit, too. Agee's progress and Conrad's reception make a crucial point . . .
. . . Although Senate Democrats deserve derision for their obstructionist tactics toward Bush's judicial nominees, the administration also bears considerable blame for the impasse. Regarding the 4th Circuit, for instance, it failed to fill vacancies swiftly after they opened; it also submitted individuals who, although highly qualified, were almost destined to fail. The Bush apparatus often gave the impression it was less interested in stocking the federal bench with talent than in picking the types of fights that energize GOP ideologues. One side bashed good people; the other side toyed with them. Let us not praise infamous men.
This week Richmond lost two friends. As principal of Open High School, Priscilla Green motivated students, teachers, and staff. They loved her, and they mourn her passing. Family, colleagues, and friends similarly mourn the death of Michael William Maupin. A lawyer respected by his peers, Maupin loved the arts -- and translated that love into active support for the region's companies and groups. Green and Maupin lived lives that define good citizenship.
According to an account in yesterday's
Times-Dispatch, most of the attendees at a transportation forum sponsored by State Sen. Walter Stosch (R-Henrico) raised their hands when asked if they would pay higher taxes in exchange for better roads. The poll was not scientific, of course; indeed, exercises such as these usually prove self-selective. Citizens who attend public gatherings are more likely to embrace specific agendas than are citizens who stay home. Supporters of a tax-and-transportation package will face a hard sell -- even though they might be right.
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