"As the elder George Bush appointee Justice David Souter demonstrates, however, not all conservative appointments render conservative jurisprudence."
True, but when David Souter was appointed, the Senate had a 58 to 42 Democrat majority and conservatives were spooked by the 1987 smear campaign against Robert Bork. So Bush the elder had to find a nominee who could win substantial support from liberal Senators. I agree that Souter is a dissapointment, but the President had no good options back then. Now, the Senate is 55 to 45 Republican, and the last Senate 'Rat leader was defeated in part due to his obstructionism.
The buzz in DC was that he "grew" after coming to Washington, viz., he was traduced through social interaction, much of it orchestrated by the late Pamela Harriman at her famous parties.
She gave Souter a social life, he gave the Democrats a Supreme Court vote in gratitude.