As expected, the first item on the agenda of the now Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress is to look for a way out of Iraq. There has been talk of gradual troop reductions in the coming months until some kind of graceful exit is made. Easier said than done. The Commander-in-Chief is still committed to continuing the conflict, until “victory” (however this may be defined) is attained. War also has a momentum of its own which cannot be halted by mere rhetoric. Even strong public opinion, as expressed in the recent U.S. legislative polls, may not be able stop the war.

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Our household has been in the grip of a fever induced by the past two seasons of Desperate Housewives on video disc. Symptoms include lack of sleep, gasps of surprise and sudden laughter. My daughters have mutated into couch potatoes for the duration of the semestral break. My wife spends hours on end glued to the tv or the pc, following the misadventures of the ladies of Wisteria Lane (a play on hysteria ?)

My theory is that if you watch Desperate Housewives long and often enough, you begin to exhibit the colorful neuroses shown by the characters of this semi-sitcom, semi-soap opera about the implosion of American suburbia. When I tease my wife about it, she gets peeved. Which means my theory might be valid.

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The Philippine Daily Inquirer for today (05 November 2006) has the headline “Miriam vs. ‘Old Boys Club’”. The alleged old-boy network among Philippine jurists will deny Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago the opportunity to be the first woman Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court. According to those in the know, the justices vying for the top post of CJ are set to close ranks and make their influence felt with the 9-member Judicial and Bar Council, which is set to submit a shortlist of three nominees to be appointed by the President.

It would be a pity if she were to be bypassed by the JBC. Even her detractors concede that she is eminently qualified for the position. Miriam is an expert in constitutional law and has a number of years under her belt in the judicial frontlines as a trial judge. Notwithstanding her clear bias for the present dispensation, she will bring passion, erudition and independent-thinking to a Supreme Court that has, except on a few rare occasions, been known for its mediocrity and muddled judgment.

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