It's not elitism to demand the best

By Aussiegirl

David Limbaugh brings some gentle good sense to the argument. The White House unnecessarily poured gasoline on the fires by launching an unwarranted accusation of "sexism" and "elitism" at conservative critics. As I've said before, it is not elitist to expect and reward the best.

It's not elitism, but constitutional stewardship, by David Limbaugh

[...]Conservatives, by advocating the appointment of the best of the best, are not bowing to elitism or snobbery but recognizing the critical importance of justices. Constitutional jurisprudence, while not rocket science, is indeed a scholarly enterprise.

Some have said that as long as a justice votes "correctly," it doesn't make any difference how brilliant he or she is. But Supreme Court justices don't just vote. They analyze, discuss, debate and engage in the art of persuasion.

Most, if not all, of the liberal justices on the Court are intellectual heavyweights. When a vacancy on the Court occurs, the president has a solemn duty to nominate the best and the brightest. He should choose not only strict constructionists, but those who can hold their own against the liberal activist justices who are steadily rewriting the Constitution and removing, brick by brick, its foundation.

What conservative skeptics of the Miers appointment have been saying is that a pool of extraordinary conservative constitutional scholars exists, whose members have proven, through their legal careers, their unique qualifications and fitness for the position. While they don't doubt Miers has excellent character and, perhaps, even superior abilities, they don't see her -- at least at this early stage -- as possessing the optimum background to sit on the Court, compared to so many others.

One wonders whether those crying "elitism" would choose the best available lawyer to represent them if their neck were on the line -- in a criminal or civil matter. If they deserve the best in their individual struggles, don't all Americans in their collective struggle to remain free?

Picking a justice isn't about rewarding individuals or satisfying gender, race or diversity concerns. It's about protecting our sacred liberties. Since the best way to do that is to find the brightest constitutional scholars with the requisite character and sound judgment, then that is precisely what the president should do. That's not elitism; it's essential constitutional stewardship.