President Obama, You Could Do Worse

President Obama is currently mulling over potential nominees for the Supreme Court seat being vacated by John Paul Stevens at the end of this session. I think he should consider this guy:

US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald

Why?  Because although I have no idea whether he’s a “liberal” or a “conservative”, from watching him it’s clear that he’s one of those rarest of men:  the incorruptable. 

Fitzgerald’s career has been marked by a steadfast, honest, even-handed, by-the-lawbook approach to justice.  He’s gored oxen on both sides of the aisle, and in doing so demonstrated that it is the law he puts first and foremost.  You’ve just gotta respect that.

The added bonus is that the right would be hard-pressed to make a case of ideological zeolotry zealotry against Fitzgerald since he’s been so successful at busting corrupt Democrats.  Kind of hard to paint the guy as a partisan, though I’m sure they’d give it the old college try.

There are those on the left who would immediately throw cold water on the idea because Fitzgerald is white, male, and Catholic and there is a preponderance of all three characteristics represented on the court already.  But so what?  Striving for diversity isn’t an excuse for excluding qualified individuals, or shouldn’t be.  There would be others who would be uncomfortable without the display of liberal bona fides.  But I think I’ve seen enough of this guy to know that he’s smart, reasonable, fair-minded, and puts the law above all else.  That’s why no one is sure about his personal ideology.

Would that we had an entire court comprised of individuals of this type.