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Two potholes in any Dole road to Supremes


Sen. Elizabeth Dole and President Bush stump in Charlotte in 2002.
N&O File Photo

By ROB CHRISTENSEN, Staff Writer

If you are looking for a dark-horse candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court, you might consider U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina. There has been a small buzz surrounding Dole after the announcement last week that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor would be retiring.

The buzz is apparently not based on anything more substantial than speculation prompted by Hearst Newspapers columnist Stewart Powell.

But the thinking is that Dole might be confirmable by the Senate because she is a senator with a long resume and a conservative Bush loyalist who is not regarded as an ideologue.

The downside is that Bush may be looking for someone relatively young who would serve on the high court for decades. Dole will turn 69 later this month. Another negative for Bush is that the appointment of Dole would mean that Gov. Mike Easley would get to name a Democrat to the U.S. Senate seat until an election could be held in 2006.

There would be no small irony if Dole were to fill the O'Connor seat. Dole, then a 44-year-old assistant to the president, was on President Reagan's short list for a Supreme Court vacancy in 1981. Instead, Reagan made O'Connor the first woman justice. Dole, a graduate of Harvard Law School, practiced law for several years before entering public service.

What does Dole think of the speculation? Dole was not talking Tuesday.

"She is really focused on her duties as senator," said Lindsay Taylor, Dole's spokeswoman.

Burr's OK with CAFTA, now

During last year's Senate campaign, when the loss of manufacturing jobs was a big issue, Republican Richard Burr tried to finesse the issue of whether he would vote to ratify the Central American Free Trade Agreement or CAFTA.

With his Democratic opponent Erskine Bowles opposed to CAFTA, Burr said he could not support the trade agreement as proposed by the Bush administration.

"We need a good CAFTA, the Central Americans need it more -- but this deal doesn't cut it," Burr said in December 2003. "We should be negotiating from a position of strength, not of desperation."

By last May, Burr said he might be willing to support CAFTA with the right changes to help the textile industry.

Last week, Burr joined Dole in voting for CAFTA, which passed the Senate by a 54-45 vote and will now go to the House.

"I believe CAFTA, with the new side agreements, will provide opportunities for economic growth in North Carolina," Burr said in a statement. "I am pleased that the side agreements addressed my initial concerns about CAFTA's textile provisions, because without these assurances I could not have supported CAFTA."

Among the side agreements that helped win his vote, Burr cited a measure to ensure that $100 million in U.S. textile exports involving pockets and lining are not lost. He also said the Bush administration reaffirmed its commitment to negotiate an aggressive customs enforcement agreement with Mexico, and Nicaragua had agreed to make some concessions.

State Democratic chairman Jerry Meek said Burr, who was recruited into the Senate race by White House political guru Karl Rove, was turning into a rubber stamp for the administration.

"We shouldn't be surprised that Senators Dole and Burr seem to care more about standing with Bush than with the working people of North Carolina, so many of whom have felt the sting of unfair federal trade policies and seen jobs in some of our state's biggest industries, such as textile and furnishings sent overseas," Meek said.

Burr, meanwhile, is not only taking flak from the left. The conservative blogging community has been ripping Burr for showing up at a picnic with R.V. Owens, a Nags Head restaurant owner, Democratic fund raiser, and nephew of Senate leader Marc Basnight.

By staff writer Rob Christensen. Christensen can be reached at 829-4532 or robc@newsobserver.com.