Clarence Thomas Spews Out His Anger

It was just a matter of time before the pent-up anger in Clarence Thomas came spewing out in a newly published memoir.

Mr. Justice Thomas has finally let that towering rage go public. Evening scores would be too tame to call most of his tirades.

Thomas blames racism, the abortion issue, Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Anita Hill, and the Roman Catholic Church in his lineup for skewering. Everyone else is to blame but, of course, himself.

For years since the Senate barely confirmed him 52 to 48, Thomas has remained mute. He has apparently been nursing the fiery anger ever since Anita Hill accused him of sexual misconduct.

The first reading of Thomas's book in the Washington Post makes you wonder whether all that anger has had some effect on his decisions on the court.

Thomas, along with Justice Antonin Scalia, has formed an unyielding bloc of conservatives with Scalia taking the lead nearly every time.

When President George H.W. Bush nominated Thomas for the court, he said he was not just the most qualified African-American but the most qualified person period to replace Justice Thurgood Marshall, a highly respected lawyer and jurist.

It was an absurd statement by the president.

Thomas had little to show in the way of a legal background or scholarship to distinguish himself other than being a black conservative. Bush's first choice for the bench, David Souter, had dismayed conservatives because he turned out as a moderate-to-liberal jurist.

Since his arrival on the Supremes, Thomas has been nearly mute when the others question lawyers in public arguments. He sits quietly while others challenge the lawyers to prove their cases.

Now he has seen fit to lash out at his tormentors, real or imagined. He may feel good to let off that steam, but his words seem to signify a "woe is me" portrayal.