" I will choose in a timely manner a highly qualified...

President Bush said YESTERDAY,"There are now two vacancies on the Supreme Court, and it will serve the best interests of the nation to fill those vacancies promptly. I will choose in a timely manner a highly qualified nominee to succeed Chief Justice Rehnquist.

President Bush said TODAY,"I'm confident that the Senate can complete hearings and confirm him as chief justice within a month. As a result of my decision to nominate Judge Roberts to be chief justice, I also have the responsibility to submit a new nominee to follow Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. I will do so in a timely manner."

There is another urgent reason to have a Chief Justice when the Supreme Court reconvenes. The SENIOR judge is a LIBERAL, John Paul Stevens, who would assign cases in the absence of the Chief justice. The advantage to the Court would be a quick turn over without the interruption from a Conservative(Rehnquist) to a Liberal (Stevens) to a conservative later. The Democrats advantage would be to delay so as to allow the Liberal to make key decisions. Smooth transition is in the best interest of the Court, and the country. Judge Roberts is young and brilliant. Now is the time for cooler heads to prevail. Open the hearing. Send Roberts to the Senate for the vote.