The left and moderates across the entire world let out a doleful cry as it received word that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor planned to retire upon confirmation of her replacement to spend more time making decisions in the private sector. O’Connor, one of the world’s last few conservative moderates, appointed before the extinction of such creatures, often played the role of the swing vote in controversial decisions on abortion and the death penalty.

“Yahoo!” said swarthy right-wing leaders, not likely referring to the popular internet search engine.

The O’Connor retirement gives übermensch George W. Bush his first chance in 5 years of rule by terror to appoint his own brand of Justice to the Supreme Court. The Court, friend to Bush ever since it put the little dork in office back in 2000, has often just narrowly avoided turnaround decisions on hot-button issues like abortion and the display of the Ten Commandments in federally-funded places.

On Friday, with O’Connor’s announcement of her retirement, Bush joined the trumpets of praise for the country’s first female Supreme Court Justice. The president called her “a discerning and conscientious judge” and even going so far as saying he wished he could hug her, were it not for the restraining order against him she issued herself.

Though O’Connor disappointed liberals on occasions with such decisions as affirmative action, the left and more moderate members of political parties trembled in fear of what replacement the gun-happy, baby-lovin’, prayer-shoutin’ president might offer up in her stead. Although the White House remained quiet on any potential nominees, insiders say they are already working on a list of nominees that can storm their way through the Republican-held Congresses to confirmation.

“Of course the president is seeking a justice that can restore balance to his party’s politics,” said inside source Nate the Gangsta at the White House. “But there’s still the problem of getting him past the whiney liberal leftovers in Congress, and the whole thing is on display for the American public, who still ridiculously hold out hope both parties will elect someone who reflects majority values. But I’m telling you now, the watchword on this nomination is minority—the more ethnic the better.”

Among the “minority” nominees are black woman Janice Brown, Hispanic Emilio Garza, white woman Edith Jones, and Frank Easterbrook, who is balding. Also among the potential nominees is Bush favorite and current Attorney General Alberto “Seedy” Gonzales, conveniently Hispanic and yet more conservative than Lawrence Welk’s underpants. Gonzales may be the favorite now for the seat, who would make a fearsome foursome with Bush’s other Reichsjudges Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, and William Rehnquist.

With a Republican House and Senate, Democrats have few options to stop the appointment of a judge that could rollback decades of moderate or left-leaning decisions, especially with one of their only remaining tools, the filibuster, dubbed the “ballbuster” by local wit Ted Ted, under fire from the majority GOP.

The liberal opposition, however, had no potential nominees for the president to consider yet, but anyone who didn’t carry a sidearm into the court would be a happy consideration at this point.