Signs of Kagan’s Ambition at Harvard

Who hasn’t gotten this type of speech from his or her employer: While at Harvard, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s boss, University President Lawrence Summers, issued her a stern warning that if she wanted to be dean of the law school, she needed to be fully committed and reject any other offers—even if something like a Supreme Court nomination came up. The New York Times says that Kagan and Summers were friends, though he was angry at her when she refused to defend him after his controversial remarks about women and science. After being turned down for the all-university presidency in 2007, one professor consoled Kagan by telling her there was a real possibility she could end up on the Supreme Court under a Democratic president.