This is what I was afraid of. I think that Obama’s spending policies are spectacular folly and his foreign policy needs to mature just in order to be called naive. I have other policy differences with the man, but they are differences. Much of what Obama is doing can be reversed or slowed down if the country so chooses by electing a Republican congress in 2010 or a new President in 2012. Other things are harder to reverse.

The news broke this evening that Justice David Souter plans to retire at the end of this Supreme Court term. This has been my greatest fear. Nominees to the SCOTUS can take decades to undo and in the meantime millions of lives will be taken by abortion. Obama has, in his first (and hopefully only) four years the chance to shape the court for years by solidifying its liberal activist base or heaven forbid extending it.

A Souter retirement was not widely expected but now Obama will have the chance to fill that vacancy with a liberal hardliner that will sit on the court for years. Obama will likely have the chance to replace justices Ginsburg and Stevens as well some time soon. While these justices were all solidly in the liberal camp, at least on the subject of Roe v Wade, it represents an opportunity lost for any future pro-life president.

As I said, I disagree with Obama on many things, but my strident opposition to him has always been about the judges. Tax policy can be changed with hopefully no more harm than a few less dollars in the pocket. You can’t get the babies back.

This is going to be a very bad year for babies. Please pray for the continued health of justices Roberts, Alito, Scalia, and Thomas. We need these four to hang on and hopefully Obama will nominate only very old people.

Update: Check out Legal Insurrection on how Arlen Specter’s party switch may have given Republicans a trump card to block an unacceptable replacement for Souter.

Ironically, Specter’s defection may give Republicans the ability to filibuster judicial nominees at the Judiciary Committee level, so the nominees never get out of committee. It’s a fascinating thought. Check it out here.