He and Arlen are heading into the mountains for some 'fishin. Good Riddance to both.

This does let Obama keep an activist lefty in place for another generation though. And look for two more to go before Obama is ushered out in 2012.

Yes, he'll likely get to replace John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg as well, perhaps in his first term even. Neither replacement would be a game-changer.

Scalia and Kennedy are both in their early seventies. Let's hope they are willing and able to hang around.

I believe we'll yearn for the days of Souter, whose odd attachment to any and all precedents will seem benign compared to what comes next.

What will come next? I can't wait to see the possibilities. Souter, himself, gives a hint of hope that whoever gets in will behave counter to what it expected of him, or more likely, her. Maybe the "cool" thing to do would be to nominate someone fairly moderate, because anyone the Left will love can be ripped by the Right. What has the Right got to lose? After the precedent the Democrats have set, from Bork on, the Republicans have plenty of latitude for public critique of the candidate. If the candidate is obviously left-looking, all the Republicans have to do is make that clear. There is only so much the New Times and company can do to make such a person acceptable to the American public.

The only way for Obama to deflect criticism from the Right is to nominate someone no more liberal than Souter, himself. I know, that is bad enough. Yet, much worse and there will be a ruckus. Actually, that would be fun and could help make a big difference in the 2010 Congressional races.

Hillary Clinton will be Souter's replacement.

Heh. Or maybe John Edwards.