Dear Senator:

In his most recent embarrassment, President Bush has articulated a policy in which he will only nominate judicial candidates who believe our rights come from God. Perhaps he has forgotten Article VI, Section III of the constitution which states in part, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” Bush’s requirement of a judicial nominee would by definition be considered a religious test. What Atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, or Taoist could meet this litmus test? Certainly if he swore to nominate only those judges who believed that our right came from Allah or Shiva it would be clear that it was an impermissible religious test.

As a member of the Senate you have the right of “Advice and Consent.” I urge you to use it make it clear the the “Bush Test” for judicial nominees is impermissible. Make him send you judges who are not ideologues, and who represent the beliefs of American not some small far right corner of it. Like all Americans I’d like to see more judges confirmed, but not at the cost of selling out the court to a far right agenda.

In politics everything is either extreme Left or extreme Right. Keep in mind that most Americans lie somewhere in the center and find themselves uncomfortable with both sides of the debate.