2005-07-01 - 9:14 a.m.

Ay, Sandra! Now what?

I want to mothball my pessimist suit, but current events just aren't cooperating!

Q: How is it that we come to bemoan the retirement of Reagan darling Sandra Day O'Connor?

A: Easy. The woman has not always been what you'd call a staunch ally of the left, but a thoughtful and intelligent "moderate" who has more than once tipped the balance in favor of what some of us would call "reason." I'm no Con Law expert, heaven knows, and it's not like I've read verbatim any of her opinions, but I know that I've breathed a sigh of relief many a time knowing that this lady has been there making her presence known. It's been impossible to read summaries of opinions in recent years and not notice how often she has taken the judicial spotlight. In the presence of Messrs Scalia and Thomas, she's been practically a shining goddess.

So what happens now? Let's wait and see.

It might not be a bad time to start hunting in earnest for a Spanish husband.