i actually, when people ask me what i am somewhat optimistic, this is one of the reasons. the energy transformation is a north american phenomenon and the potential for economic growth. take a step back. it is one of the great advantages and one of the endowments of united states. and the fact on our borders we have good relations with canada and mexico and mexico s reality is farther diverse than the very real problem of drugs but you have leadership in place that is politically and economically reforming reforming, rotations of power and mexico is a success. the potential for north america as this is more tightly woven together, it will be but the question of how much and the potential to be good for the civilian americans but also for the world this could be one of the great stories of the 21st century and it really is deserving of considerable high-level attention. why am i optimistic? severalfold. one is technologies we are four years ago we would not have seen what ha
considered, and i would hope that we could somehow move beyond the bork style of confirmation proceedings and come up with a way that would be respectful of the candidates, respectful of the president in making the choice. that does not mean it has to be a rubber stamp, but i think it is highly destructive and very bad for america. actually, i do not think it is true anymore since pork, because there is this you have almost a camp atmosphere now in a lot of the hearings, where there are very carefully crafted questions senators ask that are almost designed to reveal something more about the senator then to truly and disinformation. having observed all of the post- bork once. i am not talking about just the supreme court. i was talking just about the supreme court. i think right now you have an unusual minuet going on, where you have sort of stage questions and very cautious answers. and i do not know if the elena kagan hearings will move or from that. marie has probab
when he sat next to me, both on the d.c. circuit bench and now, not this configuration, but when justice o connor was with us, i was sitting next to justice scalia. he could say something that was so outrageous and so funny that i had to pinch myself so that i would not laugh out loud in the courtroom. that is quite an image, isn t it? [laughter] to the panelists, every one of the justices in our interview made an argument about the comity of the justices on the court. is it really an institution that even though they are divided frequently, there are great relationships among them? historically, there have been pairs that did not get along. but with these nine that we have had since the late 80s, early 90s, i think they all did really get along. justice brennan, the great liberal, really like scalia. with bitter ginsburg herself said she hardly agrees with him on anything of substance, but they are pals. justice brennan and justice marshall cross is the logical lines