TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Humorous Book Gets Certain Approval

ADVERTISEMENT

By AL HUTCHISON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 16, 2008

"Supreme Courtship," by Christopher Buckley (TwelveBooks, $24.95)

It's absolutely true, yet somehow difficult to believe, that Christopher Buckley actually finished writing "Supreme Courtship" in January, long before the world at large was introduced to a certain young politician from Alaska named Sarah Palin. In some ways the central character in this very funny tale is so similar to Palin that it's fair to say that had the book been written a few months later, Buckley would have a tough time denying her influence.

The author, son of the late William F. Buckley Jr., was in the headlines not long ago when he explained - in his blog - why he was voting for Barack Obama for president, a public declaration that effectively ended his relationship with the conservative magazine his father founded, The National Review. But if readers are expecting "Supreme Courtship" to be an ideological slam against the far right, they'll be either disappointed or pleased, depending on their political disposition.

Pepper Cartwright is not the governor of a small (in terms of population) state; rather, she's the hugely popular judge in a reality television show, and she's from Texas, not Alaska.

Somehow, she has attracted the attention of the president - who really doesn't like his job and is determined not to serve a second term - and so he nominates her to the Supreme Court. (A huge fan of bowling, the president spotted Cartwright as he was surfing channels, looking for coverage of his favorite sport. That may tell you something about this president, or maybe about the author's attitude toward national politics.)

The nomination, naturally, leads to dramatic confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a blowhard named Dexter Mitchell with presidential ambitions of his own, has successfully challenged two other nominees to the high court and he's drooling at the prospect of leading the fight against a third. For one thing, he knows that Cartwright, as a child, professed to be unimpressed with "To Kill A Mockingbird." Obviously, she's not Supreme Court material.

Buckley cleverly depicts Cartwright being tutored for her appearances before the committee by venerable Washington insiders who are, shall we say, somewhat unaccustomed to dealing with a nominee of her particular style and personality. But the real troubles begin after she is confirmed and she suddenly finds herself unable to avoid casting the tie-breaking vote on important and extremely controversial constitutional issues.

Her behavior triggers a crisis and the FBI is called in (nobody seems to know who summoned the agents, whose presence totally destroys any pretense of comity among the justices). But there's more to it than her controversial votes on major issues. There's also the matter of her relationship with the chief justice, which has become the subject of gossip in the newspapers. In the meantime, she and her husband - the producer of her television show - have separated, not entirely amicably.

Buckley's deft hand at humor and knowledge of "inside the beltway" politics deserves any court's unanimous approval.

Al Hutchison of Citrus County is a freelance writer.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT