Poppy Bush thought Clarence Thomas had "great empathy".

[deminks]

http://mediamatters.org/research/200905260034

Media obsess over Obama's comments, ignore Bush's highlighting of Thomas' "great empathy"

SUMMARY: Media figures and outlets have focused on President Obama's statement that empathy is one of the qualifications he would seek in a Supreme Court nominee, but they have not noted that then-President George H.W. Bush cited "great empathy" in his remarks announcing his selection of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.

In reporting on President Obama's search for a Supreme Court nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, media figures and outlets have often focused on the purported controversy over Obama's May 1 statement that he considered the "quality of empathy" one of the qualifications he would seek in a nominee. But those media have not noted that then-President George H.W. Bush cited Clarence Thomas' "great empathy" in his remarks announcing his selection of Thomas to serve on the Supreme Court.

From Bush's July 1, 1991, remarks (accessed from the Nexis database):

(snip)

I have followed this man's career for some time, and he has excelled in everything that he has attempted. He is a delightful and warm, intelligent person who has great empathy and a wonderful sense of humor. He's also a fiercely independent thinker with an excellent legal mind, who believes passionately in equal opportunity for all Americans. He will approach the cases that come before the Court with a commitment to deciding them fairly, as the facts and the law require.

(end snip)

So, if empathy means activism, what happened here?

[BuyingThyme]

1. God, Republicans are dumb.

[Mike 03]

2. Thomas has been a total failure, and evidence of why Philosophy is a legitimate reason

to deliberate upon when it comes to nominating for the SCOTUS a justice.

It has to go beyond grades, honors, Phi Beta Kappa. It is totally legitimate, IMO, to assess belief systems and philosophies and, in a sense, irresponsible to not do so.

[FarLeftRage]

3. poopy b*sh wouldn't know empathy if it bit his diseased ass!

Ol' poopy put in a total and complete FAILURE in the scotus.

I wonder if he even followed slappy's obession with PORN???