The two hottest issues in Washington, D.C., recently are the possibility that Karl Rove leaked the name of a CIA agent, and choosing a successor for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

President Bush is in the middle of what I believe to be a lose-lose situation with the Supreme Court appointment. If Bush nominates an activist, hard-core conservative judge in order to please his religious zealot base, the nominee certainly won’t get confirmed by Democrats. And our society will lose some of its noble freedoms that have been fought for and enjoyed for the last five decades, such as affirmative action, women’s rights, freedom from workplace prejudice and equal rights for minority and disabled people. A confirmation battle also could affect all of Bush’s agenda – changes to Social Security and tax reform. He would go back to Texas in 2009 with the poorest record of achievement for a two-term president.

However, if he decides to pick current Attorney General Gonzales or Sen. Orrin Hatch, who are centrist-conservatives, his right-wing zealots will be upset, but at least some Democrats would vote to confirm. Hence, business would continue as usual and President Bush could show the nation that he’s an open-minded, smart leader, not a brainless puppet in the hands of the religious government hijackers.

Jones Pearl, Lewiston