Scalia told me a secret about George W. Bush [View all]

[KamaAina]

http://www.salon.com/2016/02/15/scalia_told_me_a_secret_about_george_w_bush/

Mostly, I recall Justice Scalia making light conversation throughout the meal and seeming fully at ease. Of course, he had strong opinions on every subject that came up, whether it was the newly advanced EU constitution or Chelsea vs. Manchester United. He spoke fondly of Justice Ginsburg as his “best friend on the Court.” He said he hoped C-SPAN would one day record oral arguments because he’d obviously outperform his fellow justices. He agreed with one of the Rhodes scholars in attendance that his “Platonic golf” line was an all-time best.

After food came glasses of sherry. I gathered my courage and decided to ask the two questions I’d considered in advance.

“Justice Scalia, as we’re coming to the end of Bush’s presidency, I wondered if I could ask your opinion on the president’s leadership qualities.”

I recall Justice Scalia leaned back a little and examined my face. He may have thought I was a plant. Nonetheless, he was completely candid. “I have the utmost respect for the Bush family,” he said. “And I’m not a politician or a political figure. But a lot of my fellow Republicans think the other Bush brother is much brighter. That the wrong Bush brother became president.” There in the Gladstone Room of the historic Oxford Union, Justice Scalia indicated that he shared this opinion.