David Brooks Endorses McConnell

In the NYT today, David Brooks told Bush to "pick a genius" and gave an argument for Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky.

Brooks reminds the President that "this is a Supreme Court pick, not a programming choice. Nobody will care about superficial first impressions or identity politics tokenism a few years from now. What will matter in decades to come is whether you picked a philosophical powerhouse ... If you can find a philosophical powerhouse who is also a member of a minority or a woman (like, say, Mary Ann Glendon), so much the better, but picking a powerhouse matters most."

He tells Bush, "Look, for example, at how Michael McConnell, who is often mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee, has already influenced American life through sheer force of intellect. First as a professor and now as a judge, McConnell has outargued those who would wall off religion from public life. He's a case study of the sort of forceful advocate of ideas you have a chance to leave the country as your legacy."

McConnell is a great pick. I can't see Democrats filibustering a colleague who is a reasonable member of the Senate. I second David Brooks. The question is, does the President?