Expert: "Clement is safe, reliable conservative who should be easily confirmed"

"Judge Edith Brown Clement is a safe choice for Bush," says political science professor Mark Hurwitz, an expert on judicial politics at the University at Buffalo. "Bush gets a woman to replace O'Connor, and a reliable conservative who should be easily confirmed because she doesn't have too much written history for liberals to attack and she had a strong confirmation vote to the Court of Appeals in 2001."

"Also, Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu -- one of the 'gang of 14' that prevented the nuclear option on the filibuster in May -- supports Clement's nomination, which helps," Hurwitz adds. "I do not believe Clement would have been the choice for chief justice had Rehnquist retired."

Mark Hurwitz, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Political Science

University at Buffalo

716-632-4176 (home)

716-645- 2251 x507 (office)

hurwitz2@buffalo.edu

Web site: http://wings.buffalo.edu/pol-sci/faculty_and_research/hurwitz.html