NEWTON'S LAW: LONG, HOT SUMMER CONTINUES FOR SUPREME COURT NOMINIEE

So, you want to know about Washington? It is the place irony goes to refine itself. The nation's capital may be the pristine hub of global democracy, but no one denies it can be a harsh place.

For Clarence Thomas, it must seem forbidding.

Thomas is almost five weeks into his nomination for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. He has more than five weeks to go until his confirmation hearings before U.S. senators begin.

George Bush nominated Thomas to replace Thurgood Marshall, whose retirement leaves the high court without a black member. Arguments abound on this point, but suffice it to say being black didn't hurt Thomas in getting the nomination.

What is hurting Thomas now is the groundswell of organizations that has commenced to oppose his nomination. The roster grows: the Alliance for Justice, People for the American Way Action Fund, Women's Legal Defense Fund, the National Organization for Women.

Some rather significant initials also spelled out their opposition this week: the NAACP and the AFL-CIO.

The judgments were announced this way.

William Gibson, NAACP chairman: "(Thomas's) inconsistent views on civil rights policy make him an unpredictable element on an increasingly radical conservative court."

Lane Kirkland, AFL-CIO president: "The president's apparent resolve to use the appointment power to make the court the preserve of the far right wing leaves us with no other choice (but opposition)."

There you have it, a portrait of displeasure. What stands out, however, is not the legitimate philosophical logic of their positions but glaring questions that go begging.

What the NAACP is saying with its announcement of opposition isn't that Thomas is not the best man for the job, but that anyone but Thomas would do a better job.

Who does the NAACP think will be nominated if Thomas is defeated? Groups organized in 1987 to defeat the high court nomination of Robert Bork. Douglas Ginsburg followed, then aborted his own nomination, and Anthony Kennedy came along.

Kennedy has now been a justice four years and no one hears People for the American Way singing his praises for support of liberal causes.

The inventory of conservative judges is not near depletion. If Thomas is set aside, another will be pushed forward; more David Souters are roaming the Yankee landscape. These organizations surely don't think President Bush will reform himself after a nominee's rejection, slap himself on the forehead and then nominate Norman Lear.

Wouldn't the NAACP be better served by supporting a man, a black raised in the segregated South, who has learned first-hand about society's biases? Given the inevitability of another conservative nomination, the "unpredictable elements" of Thomas should have an explicit appeal.

Still, Thomas stands to lose more than he will gain between now and the Sept. 10 hearings. Regardless of the logic they employ, these groups are getting broad press coverage and scoring points, while Thomas is quietly making his rounds and letting others do his talking.

John Danforth, Missouri senator and Thomas's mentor, expresses faith that his colleagues will not be swayed by pressure tactics. "I think Judge Thomas will be confirmed ... by a substantial margin," he said Wednesday.

You'd be hard-pressed to think the veteran politician Danforth has misplaced his faith, but overconfidence would seem to be a dangerous strategy. Opponents promised to "Bork" Clarence Thomas and the effort is well under way.

The summer is getting hotter and September won't approach quickly enough for the nominee.