Let's see how many bridges the pundits are willing to burn. I'd guess they finally jump on the bandwagon. If not, here is where I think they'll complain.
Coulter will say that Bush should have consulted her first and that candidate X was a better choice. Frum will be ticked that Alito is opposed to first trimester abortions (Canuck Frum is pro-abort). Krauthammer will moan and groan about Alito's views on stem cells.
WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush is nominating Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, The Associated Press has learned, choosing a long-time federal judge embraced by judicial conservatives to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Bush plans to announce the nomination at 8 a.m. EST, the officials said.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to preview Bush's remarks, said Alito was virtually certain to get the nod from the moment Miers backed out. The 55-year-old jurist was Bush's favorite choice of the judges in the last set of deliberations but he settled instead on someone outside what he calls the "judicial monastery," the officials said.
Bush believes that Alito has not only the right experience and conservative ideology for the job, but he also has a temperament suited to building consensus on the court. A former prosecutor, Alito has experience off the bench that factored into Bush's thinking, the officials said.
I fervently hope that the pundits just shut up for a while. I must admit, I don't think Kristol will be happy with this announcement, since it seems to make most conservatives happy.
I seriously doubt there will be complaints from Coulter, Frum or Krauthammer. I was mocking the Miers-supporters.
Well, that explains a lot.
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.
Wanna bet? I predict Frum, Krauthammer and Coulter will all support him enthusiastically. Why wouldn't they? Who do you think they really wanted?
Seriously, wanna bet?
I'm trying to figure out where you're coming from? Are you a still-disappointed backer of Harriet Miers?
Give it up. Miers was a bad choice and Bush has now corrected it. You will hear very little whinning from those on the right.
Here is what David Frum has written in his online diary at National Review:
President Bush has made a perfect pick for the Supreme Court in Samuel Alito. There may be a fight over this nomination, but it is a fight that will unite conservatives in support of the president and his fine choice. And in the end, it is a fight that conservatives will win. A great day.