July 06, 2005, 5:37 p.m.
The Coming Web Attack on the Court Nominee
Anti-Bush groups say they are “hoping for peace but arming for war.”

NARAL Pro-Choice America, which has taken a leading role in the fight against several of President Bush's judicial nominees, has purchased the web addresses stopgonzales.com, stopgonzales.org, and stopgonzales.net in anticipation that the president might nominate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to the Supreme Court.

Gonzales, seen as a moderate, has sometimes been mentioned as a candidate who might not spur vigorous opposition from pro-Democratic groups. The existence of the stopgonzales sites indicates that such a vigorous opposition is at least being planned.

Asked whether the purchase of the stopgonzales names meant NARAL would oppose Gonzales's nomination, NARAL spokesman David Seldin told National Review Online, "I wouldn't read too much into that. We haven't made any decision on that. We had pretty serious concerns about his nomination for attorney general, but, in general, we are hoping not to have to oppose a nomination by the president. We are hoping for peace and arming for war."

NARAL has also purchased the web addresses stopowen.com, which refers to Judge Priscilla Owen, stopmcconnell.com, which refers to Judge Michael McConnell, and stopgarza.com, which refers to Judge Emilio Garza. All are considered possible candidates for the court.

Seldin told NRO that NARAL has also not made a decision to oppose any of those potential nominees, but that "clearly these are all people who have been in the news as potential nominees who we would have concerns about."

Other anti-Bush groups have also purchased web addresses from which to attack other potential candidates. For example, People for the American Way has purchased stopluttig.com, for Judge Michael Luttig, stopwilkinson.com, for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, stopalito.com, for Judge Samuel Alito, stopbrown.com, for Judge Janice Rogers Brown, and stopjones.com, for Judge Edith Jones.

People for the American Way spokeswoman Laurie Boeder told NRO that the organization has not yet decided to oppose any potential nominee. "Simply buying a domain name does not mean a decision to oppose a nominee has been made, but of those listed [Luttig, Wilkinson, Alito, Brown, and Jones], we are likely to oppose them," Boeder said. She called purchasing the web names "part of the long-term preparation for any Supreme Court vacancy."

Finally, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, another group that has played a substantial role in opposing Bush nominees, has purchased stopestrada.com, for Miguel Estrada, President Bush's filibustered nominee to a place on D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and stoproberts.com, for Judge John Roberts.

And the Leadership Conference has also pursued another avenue on
the web: It has purchased some pro-Bush nominee site names so that they
cannot be used by administration supporters. For example, it owns
confirmluttig.com, confirmwilkinson.com, confirmalito.com, confirmgarza.com,
confirmestrada.com, and confirmjones.com.

— Byron York, NR's White House correspondent, is the author of the book The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy: The Untold Story of How Democratic Operatives, Eccentric Billionaires, Liberal Activists, and Assorted Celebrities Tried to Bring Down a President — and Why They'll Try Even Harder Next Time.