Of all appointments that the president is asked to make, chief justice of the United States Supreme Court deserves the highest level of scrutiny.

Last week the president of the United States gave his State of the Union address, where he spoke of America's leadership in the world, and called on all of us to 'lead this world toward freedom.' Again and again, he invoked the principle of freedom, and how it can transform nations, and empower people around the world. But, almost in the same breath, the president openly acknowledged that he has ordered the government to spy on Americans, on American soil, without the warrants required by law. The president issued a call to spread freedom throughout the world, and then he admitted that he has deprived Americans of one of their most basic freedoms under the Fourth Amendment to be free from unjustified government intrusion.

The right thing for the United States right now is to refocus on the fight against terrorism,

Namely, that our investigation was authorized by the attorney general of the United States, and that the Justice Department had the information that we had with respect to serious possible federal offenses,

The United States has the burden to lead for peace. And not just peace - we need peace with justice, a much harder goal.

The criminal justice system is accurately symbolized by a large sculpture that sits at the foot of the United States attorney's building: four metal circles that interlock. The wheels of justice, as it were, frozen in legal and social gridlock.