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From Drudge:

Just Minutes After Announcement, Move.On.org Sends Out Schiavo/Court Attack Ad…

To the MoveOn.org folks:

Luttig, Roberts or McConnell.

Flap previously reported a shortlist of possible appointees to the Supreme Court: U.S. Supreme Court: Short List Begins

Judge Michael W. McConnell on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Judge Edith Hollan Jones, who practiced law in Texas and now sits on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Samuel Alito, a 3rd U.S. Circuit judge from Philadelphia.

J. Michael Luttig of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, considered one of the most conservative judges on the federal bench.

J. Harvie Wilkinson III, also on the 4th Circuit, who is considered more moderate than Judge Luttig but could be opposed by liberals over his opposition of affirmative action.

Emilio Garza of the 5th Circuit, who would give Mr. Bush the chance to name the first Hispanic justice, but whose conservative views on abortion could prompt liberal outcry.

Some additonal considerations:

John Roberts, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (appointed 2003).

Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General of the United States.

Edith Brown Clement, U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

The President has an outstanding pool of candidates.

Flap handicaps Luttig, McConnell and Roberts as the likely nominees for this first appoinment.

Mayor Sam, his wife and the other Dum Dums over at Mayor Sam’s Sister City are live blogging the inauguration of the new Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa.

So, what are you waiting for….. get over there and read.

KNBC Los Angeles televison is carrying it live too!

More on the Mayor later… but today happy thoughts and a honeymoon from commentary.

Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has announced her retirement from the United States Supreme Court upon nomination and confirmation of her successor.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court and a key swing vote on issues such as abortion and the death penalty, said Friday she is retiring.

O’Connor, 75, said she expects to leave before the start of the court’s next term in October, or whenever the Senate confirms her successor. There was no immediate word from the White House on who might be nominated to replace O’Connor.

It’s been 11 years since the last opening on the court, one of the longest uninterrupted stretches in history. O’Connor’s decision gives Bush his first opportunity to appoint a justice.

“This is to inform you of my decision to retire from my position as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, effective upon the nomination and confirmation of my successor. It has been a great privilege indeed to have served as a member of the court for 24 terms. I will leave it with enormous respect for the integrity of the court and its role under our constitutional structure.”

Flap’s original handicap and prediction is here and here.

Stay Tuned!