A Pragmatic Choice

President Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court is predictably being  pilloried by Republicans as they play to their far-right constituencies. Criticisms from the progressives, however, are short sighted. I sympathize with my fellow liberals’ desire to have a sharp and articulate voice on the left wing of the court, but I’d rather have a member who has the intellect and ability to forge a 5-4 majority decision on issues such as campaign finance reform.  She is both a brilliant legal scholar, and an engaging personality. She just might be able to persuade Justice  Anthony Kennedy to join what is now a four-person minority.