Much Better

They say that practice makes perfect, and President Bush did a whole lot better on his second attempt than he did on his first. No one is going to question either the conservative credentials or the qualifications of Samuel Alito. And unless I miss my guess, we are now going to get the fight over the court that's been brewing since 87 (or more accurately 69).

Two quick observations. All those who said the Republican party was splintered beyond repair are going to be quickly disappointed. Alito will receive less Republican carping than even Roberts. All factions of "the band" will be one the same page of music for this one.

But, by nominating Miers first, Bush has handed his enemies a powerful stick to beat Alito with--and I'm sure they'll use it with glee. We're going to hear so much about how Bush caved in to the right wing and put up this extremist. If he hadn't thrown up an unproven entity like Miers, they wouldn't have had that opportunity. That doesn't mean the Democrats would have supported Alito in the first place; just that they would have had one less easy talking point for the media wing of the party to repeat.