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Friends (and enemies) of the court

October 21st, 2008 Dennis - Central

I always look forward to new books by Christopher Buckley. He’s such a gifted wordsmith and his sense of humor never fails to amuse, no matter the subject. He’s become something of an adept at taking national and international crises-du-jour such as American-Islamic relations, celebrity murder trials, the Medicare/budget shortfall, and tobacco industry lobbyists, and skewering them within an inch of their funnybone. In his latest novel, Supreme Courtship, he turns his attention to the role of the judiciary in the Washington D.C. political circus.

The current president, Donald Vanderdamp, a decent, modest, hard-working and dedicated public servant has, of course, abysmal public approval ratings–ostensibly because he tends to veto every pork barrel spending bill sent to him by Congress. The Washington intelligentsia has even christened him with the sobriquet “Don Veto.” Which may be why he’s having trouble getting any of his nominees for a Supreme Court vacancy confirmed by the Senate’s Judiciary committee. That and the fact that the current Chairman of said committee, vainglorious scoundrel that he is, covets a seat on the bench for himself, after having failed (four times) in his own bids for the presidency. The president, with a “just folks” wisdom worthy of Frank Capra, stumbles upon a television reality show with an attractive female “judge” from Texas named “Pepper” Cartwright, who dispenses justice of the made-for-TV variety. She’s smart yet plain-spoken, has a real legal background, the seventh-highest rated show on television, and a problematic marriage to the self-serving producer of her show. Which apparently makes the prospect of Senate confirmation hearings somewhat less odious.

Naturally, she gets confirmed. And, just as naturally, problems ensue. Questionable court decisions, high-profile divorces, higher-profile affairs, hit TV shows with vainglorious former-senators-turned-actors-with-rekindled-presidential-ambitions, leaks of Supreme Court memos to the media and ensuing FBI investigations, a new constitutional amendment, and a presidential election that must be ruled upon by the Supreme Court. Put it all together and it makes for some pretty entertaining reading and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments.

And yet…

The dialogue is relentlessly clever, as you’d expect if you’ve read Buckley before. The action moves along at a brisk pace — too brisk when you realize how quickly the story moves through a presidential campaign and election. But, truthfully, it isn’t just the timeline of the story that causes frustration in its depictions of our political processes. It’s a little disheartening to read stories where our elected officials, men and women we like to consider above reproach (else why would we have voted for them?), seem more often than not to be beneath contempt. Not all of them, of course. But the people of sterling character, those who serve behind the scenes with honor and decency, and for the good of the country– they never seem to be the ones who actually get elected. When one of the main characters announces a new run for the Presidency, he issued a call for: “a) change, b) a return to greatness, c) a brighter future for all, not just some, Americans, and d) a pledge to change the way Washington does business.”

Now does any of that sound familiar?

I do realize that’s Buckley is just creating light entertainment here. He creates these straw men and women so that they can be taken apart, quickly and satisfactorily. But at times the farcical elements don’t come off as being quite so far-fetched. Or maybe that’s the cynic in me. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to new works from Mr. Buckley. Misgivings aside, Supreme Courtship is definitely worth a read if you appreciate the well-crafted turn of phrase in your political satire.

Entry Filed under: Recreational Fiction