Book Log 2009 #14: Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

Buckley turns his satiric eye towards the judiciary in this, his latest novel, as a highly unpopular President, unable to get his nominees for a Supreme Court opening confirmed, gives the Senate Judiciary Committee a metaphorical middle finger by nominating Pepper Cartwright, a plain-talking Texan who hosts a popular TV court show. Perhaps unexpectedly, the stunt works, and Cartwright is given a seat on the court.

Once on the court, it's a non-stop run of problems, both judicial and personal, as Cartwright has to figure out her new job, peculiar colleagues and sort out a messy personal life.

I didn't quite see the parallels between Cartwright and Sarah Palin that some drew, and as the book was published well before Palin became nationally prominent it's a comparison that may not hold water. Instead, I think Buckley may have ripped me off.

However, I do feel like an idiot for not figuring out that the character that chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee was based on Joe Biden, as in retrospect it makes a certain sense.

Highly amusing as always and well worth the read.