[originaltext] The White House had just confirmed that President Bush would

The White House had just confirmed that President Bush would announce his nominee to the Supreme Court on prime time television and the networks already began parading a photo of the woman who—by consensus— was almost certain to be named.
    Edith Brown Clement—or was it Cle-MENT, no one seemed sure—had been on a long list of possible nominees to this most powerful of posts, but nowhere near the top. Still, the President was known to be under pressure to replace the retiring justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, with another woman. From his wife, Laura, amongst others.
    The photo showed a middle-aged woman with neat blonde hair and the face of a kindly school teacher. In appearance, at least, not the sort of extremist zealot, who many of the left-wing advocacy groups had been fearing. Someone who had used her court position to move America to the right.
    Throughout the day, the pundits struggled to make sense of who she was. We knew that she was an appeals court judge in New Orleans, who’d previously specialised in maritime law; but apart from that, we were hardly awash with information.
    One of her colleagues was tracked down; and we learned a bit about her. Well, about her name, at least. It was pronounced CLEM-ent and—although she was called Edith, she was actually known as Joy. But we didn’t have much joy in finding out her opinions on the key divisive social issues of the day.
    Still, we did hear the opinion of everyone from legal experts to that shy and retiring entrepreneur, Donald Trump. He told us that he was sure Justice Edith would be good for business. Or maybe that he was good for business. It was hard to tell.
    This was the moment that the American political establishment had been bracing itself for; the nomination which had the potential to spark off a great partisan war—and they weren’t going to let it pass without comment. So—as the clocked ticked towards 9 pm—groups on the left and right, as well as senators’ press offices were preparing hand-outs with Edith’s name on, while we wily reporters had sensed a possible diversionary tactic. For on the list of potential nominees was another Edith, Edith Jones.
    Washington’s other current obsession is the role of President Bush’s right hand man, Karl Rove, in the leaking of the name of CIA agent, so it was appropriate that the name of the supreme court nominee was made public, through a White House leak, an hour and a quarter early.
    And the name wasn’t Edith. It wasn’t even Joy. It was John, John Roberts, who is a youthful fifty-year-old, with an impeccable-looking family and impeccable conservative credentials. He’s held positions in the Reagan and Bush senior White Houses and was clerk to the current Chief Justice, William Rehnquist.
    As he strode up to the White House podium, his features—a mixture, to my eye of the actors Larry Hagman and Tom Hanks—were already familiar to us. But even as we listened to the President’s brief introduction and his nominee’s brief words of acceptance, our thoughts were elsewhere; our ears already straining to hear the reaction of the senate democrats—the people who decide whether John Roberts would be confirmed or whether his nomination would be stuck in partisan purgatory.
    So, has the President lit the touch paper for the start of an almighty battle for the heart and soul of American culture?
    Well if there is an explosion on the horizon, the fuse is fizzling rather weakly at the moment. John Roberts’ uncertain views on abortion are being questioned, but not with the vehemence that would suggest that his confirmation by the Senate is in any real doubt.
    And Edith? For conspiracy theorists, her naming was a clever ploy by the White House. By suggesting that an apparently fairly liberal judge would get the nod, the president’s actual nominee—a conservative, but not a campaigning conservative—has pleased the right wing base more than he might have done, yet without alienating the democrats.
    But not everyone is jumping for joy—or, should I say, jumping for John. A note of caution was sounded by the woman who’s oreated the vacancy on the court, Sandra Day O’Connor.
    The President’s nominee is good in every way, she’s said, except that he isn’t a woman.
    Nor—indeed—an Edith.
16. What was Edith Brown Clement’s job?
17. Why did the President decide to replace the retiring justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, with another woman?
18. What did people do when they were listening to the President’s brief introduction and his nominee’s brief words of acceptance?
19. What’s the best title for this talk?
20. Why was Edith Brown Clement nominated according to conspiracy theorists?