The Tennessee Liberal

I understand that Harold Ford, Jr. needs to play to the middle ground in Tennessee. I know that Tennessee is and has been defined by its middle ground for some time. I know this. And yet, the totally wishwashy ramble of this letter to his close personal friend George still drives me nuts.

It's just a badly written letter. I mean, it really is. It's a giant string of non sequiturs. The Africa thing has NOTHING to do with the Supreme Court nomination. But that's not my biggest gripe.

At one point in this letter, Rep. Ford encourages Bush not to "cave in to either extreme in choosing a Justice for the Court." I think we get what one extreme might look like, a la Scalia. But does Harold, Jr. actually expect that Bush is considering that long-awaited appointment of Ralph Nader to the Supreme Court? I'm not saying I don't think we need a moderate nominee, in fact I'd love one. There are just better ways to say that. Plus, you don't refer to the Attorney General as General Gonzales. He is the Attorney for the United States, in general.

But what I really don't get is why Ford spends a few sentences trying to tie Iraq to the nomination. Here's the offending section:

Remember, the Iraqis are to have a Constitution written by August 15 and then hold a referendum on accepting the Constitution by October 15 to be followed by a new round of elections in December. I cannot imagine a wiser expenditure of your time right now than ensuring that the constitution is written, the military and police are trained and elections are held in Iraq. These milestones are critical to helping the "Iraqis stand up," as you say Mr. President, so that American troops can begin "standing down." The selection of a mainstream person to the Court will help you, the nation and Congress maintain our focus on these and other critical issues dominating the day-to-day lives of Americans.

What? I am totally lost here. Of all the reasons to nominate a moderate to the Supreme Court, aiding the war in Iraq is just not one of them. Does anyone have an idea about why he tried to make this point? Is it to set up the ability to hold Bush accountable later if the deadlines are missed? I'm lost.

This worries me, because Harold Ford, Jr. should have his message nailed down by now. Surely he can sort it out...