We deserve the best

The US is supposedly the greatest nation on earth. As its citizens, I believe we deserve to be served by the best and the brightest available people. So why is it we keep settling for second best? Today, the Senate set up a confirmation vote, set for Friday, on federal appeals court nominee and White House aide Brett Kavanaugh.

This is the third time around for Kavanaugh. He was originally nominated in 2003. This press release, issued the day before his 2004 hearing, points to some serious concerns about him. He was then renominated at the beginning of 2005. According to this site, the nomination was kicked back in December 2005. His renomination – I guess the third time’s the charm – occurred on January 25, 2006.

The American Bar Association downgraded this candidate from “highly qualified” to “qualified.” Have a look at his resume and judge for yourself. Admitted to the bar in 1990, Kavanaugh spent his early career as a clerk to successively more important judges, including Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. But no doubt the experience which counts the most is the three years he spent in the Office of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr.

No doubt this guy is well connected; most federal justice nominees are. But then again, most of them have some semblance of experience before they are nominated to the federal bench. No doubt he gained valuable experience as a clerk, but somehow I would think that extensive experience as a practicing lawyer – you know, preparing for trial, arguing cases in court, and so forth – would be a prerequisite for serving on the bench. Save Our Courts agrees with me on this.

We deserve the best. Somehow, I don’t think we’ll be getting it with Brett Kavanaugh.

UPDATE: Kavanaugh was confirmed today.