LOL! I'm sure we'll hear some pundit rumbling, but I doubt that they'll trash Alito the way they trashed Miers. For one thing, this pick was run by them in advance, with lots of leaking and speculation; I think one of the things that really frosted them about Miers was that she was picked, as Bush said, "outside of the judicial monastery," and they had no advance preparation. That, to me, is the only thing that can explain the highly personal tone of their outrage, which went way beyond an examination of qualifications and clearly showed that they were personally miffed.
Bush has a habit of doing what he wants to do and playing his hand close to the vest. This can be good, but at the same time, it is also good for him to cultivate his potential critics and at least defang them a bit with some advance warning. But again, the way the WH handles its press and public relations is sadly wanting, particularly since the departure of Ari Fleischer.
"That, to me, is the only thing that can explain the highly personal tone of their outrage, which went way beyond an examination of qualifications and clearly showed that they were personally miffed."
Ha! They smelled a rat. And they were proven correct.
I personally didn't watch it very closely, because it was obvious that conservatives were checking her over with a fine-toothed comb. Frankly, there was so much not known in the early phase, it was hard to pay attention when they went off 21 hours a day, 5 days a week, and hardly any info to go on at that point.
He didn't properly vet her, and now we know why, because if he did, he knew it would stink. That's the thing about appointments: they reveal something about you. And not properly vetting should be a red flag-- even more revealing. That's one thing Clinton taught me well.
People have the tools here to learn something about Bush. But naturally, they will only cherry-pick the tools that they prefer.