NOMINATION/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/WOMEN: “Brett Kavanaugh looked less like a Supreme Court justice than an ordinary political candidate whose campaign is on the skids, mired in scandal as he battles to keep his hopes of high office alive. With his wife Ashley by his side, Kavanaugh seized control of his own defense against allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct that are threatening to overwhelm his hopes of joining the bench…The joint appearance by the Kavanaughs was a startling moment, unprecedented in the history of the Supreme Court confirmation process, and may end up registering a new threshold in the politicization of the institution he hopes to join. By offering an interview, Kavanaugh shed the public reticence normally expected of a senior member of the judiciary in order to slug it out in the political trenches. He pleaded for a ‘fair process’ at a potentially pivotal moment for a nomination that could change the path of American jurisprudence and deliver conservatives of a long-dreamed of majority on the court. A big television interview has long been a weapon in a political consultant’s political arsenal. And Kavanaugh learned from some of best as one of the President’s men in the George W. Bush White House.”
–Stephen Collinson, “Kavanaugh the politician takes charge of floundering campaign,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, September 24, 2018 1:38 am