I received this in my email today and wanted to
share it.
_____
Dear Marguerite,

President George W. Bush issued the following
statement on the passing of Chief Justice
William Rehnquist.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Our nation is saddened
today by the news that Chief Justice William
Rehnquist passed away last night.

Laura and I send our respect and deepest
sympathy to this good man's children, Jim,
Janet and Nancy. We send our respect to all
the members of the Rehnquist family.

William H. Rehnquist was born and raised in
Wisconsin. He was the grandson of Swedish
immigrants. Like so many of his generation, he
served in the Army during World War II. He
went on to college with the help of the G.I. Bill.

He studied law at Stanford University. He
graduated first in his class. That included his
future colleague Sandra Day O'Connor.

Judge Rehnquist and his late wife, Nan, raised
their family in Phoenix, where he built a career
as one of Arizona's leading attorneys.

He went on to even greater distinction in public
service: as an assistant U.S. attorney general,
associate justice of the Supreme Court and, for
the past 19 years, chief justice of the United
States.

He was extremely well-respected for his
powerful intellect. He was respected for
his deep commitment to the rule of law
and his profound devotion to duty.

He provided superb leadership for the
federal court system, improving the
delivery of justice for the American
people and earning the admiration of
his colleagues throughout the judiciary.

Even during a period of illness, Chief
Justice Rehnquist stayed on the job to
complete the work of his final Supreme
Court term.

I was honored and I was deeply touched
when he came to the Capitol for the swearing
-in last January.

He was a man of character and dedication.
His departure represents a great loss for the
court and for our country.

There are now two vacancies on the Supreme
Court. And it will serve the best interests of
the nation to fill those vacancies promptly.
I will choose in a timely manner a highly
qualified nominee to succeed Chief Justice
Rehnquist.

As we look to the future of the Supreme
Court, citizens of this nation can also look
with pride and appreciation on the career of
our late chief justice. More than half a century
has passed since William H. Rehnquist first
came to the Supreme Court as a young law
clerk.

All of those years, William Rehnquist revered
the Constitution and the laws of the United
States. He led the judicial branch of
government with tremendous wisdom
and skill.

He honored America with a lifetime of
service, and America will honor his memory.

May God bless the Rehnquist family.

Thank you all very much.
_____
Republican National Committee
http://gop.com/