the Florida legislature had vindicated itsrnown rights by appointing the slate of electorsrnthat had been chosen according tornthe statutory’ scheme created b the legislature.rnIt is true that this route niav havernproduced two slates of electors fromrnP’lorida, but that is not a constitutionalrnproblem. If Florida’s legislature had certifiedrnone set of electors and Florida’srnSupreme Court had tried to certify another.rnCongress —as the Constitutionrnprovides —would have resolved the disputernand almost certainly would havernagreed with the Florida legislature. Thisrnresult would hae strengthened tlie causernof federalism, reaffirming The Framers’rnview that political decisions should bernmade by the political branches, and provingrnthat a state legislature can still defendrnitself from the local arm of the imperialrnjudiciary. Instead, Bush v. Gore demonstratesrnthat, in contemporary America, allrnissues are to be resoKed bv the judiciar)’rn—particularly the federal judiciary.rnIf diere is one reason to be encouragedrnby this decision, it is all the hypocrihcal,rnliberal posturing about judicial activism.rnThe day before the U.S. Supreme Courtrnruled, the New York Times devoted prac-rnHcally its enhre editorial page to phon’rnworries about judicial activism, includingrnits own plea diat the jushccs issue arndecision that “preserxes respect forrnSupreme Court justices as referees whornare able to rise above their polihcal lovaltics.”rnJustice Breer raised similar concernsrnin his dissent, piousK cliastising thernmajorih’ for running “the risk of underminingrnthe public’s confidence in diernCourt itself”rnNot that die New York limes and Ju.sticcrnBreyer hae rejected past cheerleadingrnfor Roe v. Wade and the like, suddcu-rn1′ discovering the virtues of federalismrnand judicial restraint. Thc-‘ recogni/ernthat no institution has done more to advancernthe leftist agenda in the last 40rnyears fiian activist courts, and an indispensablernelement of this strateg hasrnbeen die public’s willingness to treat thernlatest pronouncement of tlie SupremernCourt as Hie equialent of tablets beingrnbrought down from Sinai. If Americansrndo begin to take a more critical look atrnthe Supreme Court, fiiat will be far morernbeneficial to conservatism dian die diinrngruel die second Bush administration isrnlikelv to ser e up.rn— Thomas PiatakrnH o w DID AL GORE BLOW 11 ?rnHe had everxthing going for him. Ikwasrntlie heir to one of the most successfulrnadministrations in Anierican liistor.rnThe lengdi and extent of our prosperityrnwere unprecedeuted. Our ]30sition inrnthe world had neer been higlier. Allrnagreed, widi polls to back tliein up, diat ifrnthe Conshtufion had pennitted Bill Clintonrnto run again, he would liae won in arnlandslide. Win didn’t Clore inlicrit thisrngoodwill? Win wasn’t he a shoo-in?rnAll he had to do, it seemed, was disassociaternhimself from Clinton’s disgn.sfingrnsexual exploits and the lies and prearicatiousrnthat went with diem. This he didrnbcaufifnily b’ seldom mentioniug Clinton,rnb’ emphasizing his own “famiK’ allies,”rnand b’ finding himself a runningrnmate who was probih’ incarnate. But itrndidn’t work. Wh?rnThrough die worst of die Clinton sexualrnscandals, his public sup])ort never w a-rnered. I’hc Republican majoritv in C’ongressrn—in their shock, horror, andrnglee —couldn’t bcliee dial die supportrnwould contimie “once tlie facts werernknown.” FinalK, die had to gie u|.) thernwhole project in the face of clearK’ hosfilernpublic opinion; when it was all oxer.rnThe Unsinkable IslandrnNorsemen, Anglo-Normans, and Celts came to conciuer and ended up going iiatixe. The ca].xicitv of the Irish tornendure conquest and comert their “masters” makes a great stor —told incomparabK b their poets, noelists, dramatists,rnand pub raconteurs without whom (if you believe them) Fnglish literature would hac been a paltr affair.rnJoin us in Ireland for The Rockford Institute’s Third Coniiuiii as we explore the Ck-ltic legends of trncnient heroesrnand even more truculent monks, the periodic imasions and revivals, the poetrv and song, and the Irish literar heroes:rnSwift, Burke, Moore, Yeats, and Joxce.rnSpend three nights in Dublin’s delightful Davenport Hotel, with morning lectures and discussionsrnand afternoons exploring this ancient and beautiful cit.rnSpend three nights in Cashel’s Cashel Palace Hotel —once an 18di-ceiitur archbishop’s |)alace,rnnow a lnxur- getaway —with excursions to die Rock of C^ashel, Kilkenuv, Cahir C’astle, and Hob’ Cross .bbe’rn(and optional golf and trout fisliing).rnThe final night and farewell dinner will be back in Dublin.rnAs alwas, great food and plentv to drink.rnMay 21-28, 2001rnFor deti Ills and prices calrnChristopher Checkrn’.xecutive Vice Presidentrn(815)964-5811rn6/CHRONICLESrnrnrn