The Supreme Court

Something that I think is being lost in the discussions about these elections is the drastic impact it will have on the future makeup of the Supreme Court. Currently, there are four right-leaning justices, four left-leaning justices, and then the swing vote, Kennedy. In the next four years, at least one of those left-leaning justices is likely to retire, and it could be as many as three. None of the right-leaning justices seem likely to retire soon, nor Kennedy. So, if McCain wins and is able to nominate new justices - even just one - the balance of the Court will swing decidedly to the right. This could cause all sorts of problems, most notably overturning Roe v. Wade. Who knows what other horrible damage a conservative court might inflict? Perhaps the right has simply succeeded in convincing the electorate that it's only left-leaning justices that "legislate from the bench," but everyone with experience in the legal system knows that it goes both ways. It seems to me that anyone out there who considers herself a moderate should be incredibly concerned at the possibility of putting McCain in office. I can only hope that the Obama campaign and the press will put more of a spotlight on this issue between now and November.