Having cleverly satirized various Washington institutions over many books, most recently Boomsday, last year’s poke at the presidency (among other targets), Christopher Buckley this time takes aim at the U.S. Supreme Court. Glad he did. With all of the nonfiction looks inside the nation’s highest court, a comic view is welcome. Once again, Buckley doesn’t disappoint.

Supreme Courtship opens with the escalating dementia of Associate Justice J. Mortimer Brinnin, an ancient jurist (jeez, no real-life parallels there) whose last, dimming neurons allow him to see eels in his toilet and bring voices into his head, which he attempts to keep out by wrapping aluminum foil around his ears during an oral argument.

Brinnin resigns under pressure, leaving President Donald P. Vanderdamp to nominate his replacement. Two impeccable nominees are torpedoed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, headed by vindictive Sen. Dexter Mitchell. Hated by Congress for his veto of every spending bill they have passed, Vanderdamp seeks revenge by nominating Judge Pepper Cartwright, a brilliant Buckley creation. (With the exception of her name. What is it with Buckley’s names? Too cutesy for me, but that’s such a minor point).

Pepper is not just any judge –– she is a TV judge, celebrity star of the most popular reality show in the land. With her irreverence, Texas roots, and saucy personality, she puts Judge Judy to shame. Her father is a colorful televangelist who turned to religion after a brief career as the (fictional) cop who allowed Lee Harvey Oswald-killer Jack Ruby into the Dallas police station.

Pepper speaks bluntly and in a Texas twang about everything, sex included. As one of the president’s advisers says: “Quite the trailer park we seem to have wandered into.” But note: Pepper is exceedingly smart, and, boy, can she handle herself at a Senate hearing. She’s also an attractive young woman with a fashion sense all her own.

At this point, you may, understandably, be thinking: Sarah Palin. I was, from the get-go. As good as he is, Buckley surely is not clairvoyant; he must have been as surprised as anyone when John McCain chose his running mate. But just as Palin has shaken things up in the real world, so does Judge Pepper in this fictional one when, after quickly de-fanging Senator Mitchell at her confirmation hearing, she takes her seat on the Supreme Court.

Various subplots unfold from there, including Pepper’s separation from her TV-producer husband, Pepper’s romance with a fellow high jurist, and Mitchell’s resignation to play a TV president.

Narrative is never Buckley’s strong suit, and some of these barely held my attention.

They didn’t have to. Supreme Courtship is another wonderful skewer of the politics and human foibles of anyone in high (or low) office.

Pepper is dead-on. So is Vanderdamp, despite his name.

Until the GOP convention, my advice to Buckley and his longtime editor, Jon Karp, might have been: Great concept, take it to the next level, with, say a Pepper-like character as presidential or vice-presidential nominee of a major party.

Too late, guys. Maybe it’s time to leave Washington. How about an American succeeds Putin inside the Kremlin?