I think I have a name the Democrats shouldn't *dare* filibuster if Bush were to nominate him. He's a white male Republican and yet he's a minority.
He's been on the Texas Supreme Court and is presently serving as the state's Attorney General. His name is Greg Abbott.
While Abbott is no better than many other qualified jurists Bush could pick, he has one advantage that could force the Dems to hold back their venom. He is confined to a wheelchair - partially paralyzed after a tree fell on him while exercising.
Are the Democrats going to allow themselves to be seen "beating up on a cripple" - particularly the first mobility-impaired American to be nominated to the Supreme Court? Surely, the ever-so-sensitive Democrats would rather lynch another black nominee than have to destroy a man already bound to a wheelchair.
Even if the Dems succeed in killing his nomination, they are going to lose more voters if they do, particularly women who instinctively have sympathy for those with physical limitations.
Unfortunately, I don't know enough about his positions on pro-life issues but, other than stem-cell research, the handicapped are often among the strongest pro-lifers because they realize how quickly the slippery slope of "quality of life" arguments falls down to their level when it comes to who gets to live or die.
It would be the sort of nomination that would so throw the liberals off guard that they would either overplay their hand opposing him or stand back because of the PR damage such attacks might cause.
It would once again show Bush outsmarting the Dems by thinking outside the box. While nominating Brown, Owen or an Hispanic creates problems for the Dems, they already have their opposition research done and will be loaded for bear as they were when these were previously nominated for appellate positions. Abbott will be somebody they'd have to scramble to find dirt on.