Nominate Zell Miller!
He has never said anything about appointing Gonzales or any other Hispanic. That is pure speculation by the talking head pundits who have to say things interesting to keep getting face time and copy lines. Judicial appointees aren't exactly an exciting subject to Joe six pack.
If they had started a rumor that he was going to appoint a gay person all of the media would have repeated it and the third-party-pretending -to-be-Republicans on FR would be posting the same crud about Bush being a traitor and how they were never going to contribute to the Republican Party again.
At the same time, a senior Bush adviser was urging journalists to read Federalist No. 76, in which Alexander Hamilton advised presidents against naming cronies to high positions.
I note people have refrained from making note of this in the Gonzales controversy.
I trust Bush. He's given me no reason to think him anything but an honest man. That is a rare quality in a politician. Usually because honest man bring the furor of their bases on their head when they admit straight up they won't do everything they want. Then again, you know where you stand with an honest man and this is why he has such trust on issues like the WOT where he has been true to course.
Could always be wrong, but I suspect he'll do right in his nominee.
"Three of the Republicans have already indicated they'd vote to invoke the "nuclear option" to thwart a judicial filibuster. And only two defectors from the Gang of 14 are needed to pass the nuclear option."
No. Specter will vote to defeat the nuclear option, if his vote is crucial. That means 3 defectors from the Gang of 14 are needed. So far we count 3, which looks good, unless the count is suspect or there is another "sleeper" RINO in the Republican deck.
Pretty simple. Bush said he'd nominate judges like Scalia and Thomas. If he doesn't, he's a liar.