Amy Covid Barrett is perceived as the Devil’s Handmaid by Democrats and the Savior of the Supreme Court by Republicans.  Barrett herself is such a mass of contradictions that she surely must have one of the most severe cases of Cognitive Dissonance on record. (How appropriate that her confirmation was shepherded through the Judiciary Committee by Lindsey Graham, a self-loathing man who supports anti-gay legislation.)

Barrett belongs to a strange cult, People of Praise that believes wives should live in “total submission” to their husbands, who control everything a wife does. Yet her own career has vastly eclipsed her husband’s – by a long shot! America has a right to know, does she need to consult with him on her judicial decisions?

Barrett wants us to believe that she is deeply religious, and that her religion guides everything she does – except, of course, for the decisions she will make on the Court that will actually affect people’s lives. (She is not the first Justice to do this.  In his confirmation hearing, Chief Justice Roberts also claimed, in essence “My religion is the most important thing to me – but I won’t let it play any role in my legal decisions.”  Barrett also advises others that their legal careers can be a means to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth – yet she professes that she will not try to do that in her own influential position.

Barrett says she will be totally independent of the other branches of government (which nominated and approved her in a highly partisan process) and then at the conclusion of her speech, she immediately accompanied Trump for a majestic appearance on the White House balcony that will no doubt be used as the centerpiece of a new Trump Campaign ad. You can almost hear the drastic music swelling as they stand there.

In the real world, Barrett has been extremely vocal in her criticisms of the Affordable Care Act and Roe v. Wade, but in Confirmation Land, she suddenly became very shy about voicing her opinions to the Senate Judiciary Committee – notwithstanding the fact that Trump picked her expressly with the intent of overturning Roe v. Wade and the ACA.

Trump clearly believes he is getting what he wants. Barrett’s unwillingness to state honestly for the record whether Trump is getting what he expects, is just the latest example of the erosion of the Court into just another partisan branch of government, notwithstanding Barrett’s protestations (too much) to the contrary.