Now the "interest-group machinery on both sides has been mobilizing for war," according to the Washington Post.

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who is ailing, will likely retire at the end of the current term. And Bush is prepared to name a committed conservative to fill his seat, despite the certainty of Democratic opposition.

"By any means, both sides forecast a titanic struggle akin to a national election campaign, a battle waged with the weapons of 21st-century politics against the backdrop of red-state-blue-state ideological division," the Post reports.

The president believes he has the chance to redefine the Supreme Court, especially if two or three members retire during his second administration.

However, Bush is embroiled in other issues that could sap his political strength.

His approval ratings are in the mid-40s, he’s struggled to find support for his plan to restructure Social Security, and the House has defied his veto threat by voting to ease restrictions on stem cell research.

To push for his Supreme Court choice, Bush "will have to use up a lot of political capital, and that political capital is already being expended on Social Security, the war in Iraq" and the rest of his agenda, said political scientist Sheldon Goldman of the University of Massachusetts, a specialist on the federal judiciary.

Therefore, some Democrats argue that Bush would be better off compromising on a Supreme Court nominee.

That’s not likely to happen, according to Washington insiders, who say Bush will pick someone with a strong conservative judicial philosophy.

And the White House believes that Democrats cannot filibuster a nominee who is not more conservative than the three appellate nominees they have now agreed to let come to a floor vote.

Said Sean Rushton, executive director of the Committee for Justice, which has spearheaded the effort to win votes for Bush’s nominees, "If Democrats don’t think there’s going to be a tough conservative put forward, they’re dreaming."

But he added, "Outside the president nominating Jack the Ripper, I don’t think there’s the stomach to filibuster."

Editor's note:
Rush Limbaugh Says the War for the Court Has Begun! Find Out Details – Click Here Now

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