Samuel Alito

According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription), Bush plans to appoint Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to preview Mr. Bush's remarks, said Judge Alito was virtually certain to get the nod from the moment Ms. Miers backed out. The 55-year-old jurist was Mr. 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.

Meanwhile Democrats continue to insist that they are entitled to dictate who may sit on the Supreme Court.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, warned President Bush on Sunday not to pick one of the candidates said to be on the president's short list, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr.

So it looks like we'll have that fight after all.

But Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, fired back Sunday, saying that if the Democrats staged a filibuster against Judge Alito or Judge Luttig because of their conservatism, "the filibuster will not stand."

Mr. Graham's warning was significant because he played a crucial role earlier this year in helping block a Republican effort to change the Senate rules - known as the nuclear option - so that Democrats could not filibuster judicial nominees. His comments on Sunday indicated that this time, he would support that rule change; Democrats have threatened to retaliate with a battle that could snarl Senate business for months.

Comments

[Ol' BC]

It seems that Alito's methodology is consistent. He applies the constitution to his decisions. Seems like the correct thing to do. If they Democrats lock up the Senate for months, does that mean they can't spend money for months?

[Tom Bowler]

Applying the consitution in judicial decisions is considered "radical" by Democrats, but I suspect that it's not radical enough to cause any slow down in spending.