Unlike with Harriet Miers, there won’t be a big debate about the qualifications of Samuel Alito, President Bush’s new nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Alito "has more prior judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in 70 years," Bush said Monday. But there will be a knock-down, drag-out fight about ideology. Alito’s views and rulings are so similar to those of conservative justice Antonin Scalia that his nickname among some attorneys is "Scalito." Thus, if he is confirmed, abortion rights would likely be overturned or significantly restricted. But I’m with Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., in believing that it is better to have a nominee whose views and records are clear — even if that means the confirmation process turns into a brawl — than to try to sneak through a stealth nominee.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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