I like this guy Alito
For some time now and to his credit, President Bush pandered to the whims of his liberal enemies in the spirit of inclusion, hoping for a more congenial political climate. He should have known better, and perhaps now he does.
The Samuel Alito, Jr. justice nomination comes as a relief and long-awaited signal of a return to the originalist probity the president once embodied to principled conservatives across the country. This is important because his return to the very foundation of his presidency has galvanized the people who elected him to office like never before. His base is now mobilized and more ready than ever for the public debate that will surely come.
A big mistake
To many, the nomination of Harriet Miers as Supreme Court Justice served as final notice that Mr. Bush was guilty of inexorably traveling down a path far different than the one outlined as the foundation and guiding beacon of his presidency: rock-solid, principled conservatism. The nomination was seen by conservatives as another example of acquiescing to personal loyalty above principles, cronyism over the greater good, and the virtueless demands of societal engineers.
As noted law professor David Forte observed, "Those who took the President to task did him the greatest service and honor. They grabbed him by the lapels and said, 'Snap out of it!' And he has. He put aside his desire for an Hispanic, or a woman, and chosen a person that, if confirmed, could be another great justice on the Supreme Court."
The perfect choice
Ironically, it is now known that Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito was the president's first choice to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor before his personal advisers wrongly steered him into the nomination of Miers. Judge Alito is eminently qualified and has a consistent record as a conservative constitutionalist during the past 15 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Scholastically, Alito's record is surpassed only by that of Chief Justice John Roberts.
Despite his overwhelming qualifications, there is no doubt the nomination of Judge Alito will meet with harsh resistance from Senate liberals who see the court system as a tool, a rubber stamp for their activist agendas. Let us hope that the Radical Left, now the mainstream of Senate Democrats, resist any urge for an unconstitutional filibuster.
But make no mistake. The Left is absolutely, absurdly wrong when they cite this family squabble as proof that conservatives are in disarray. Quite the opposite is true and all conservatives are spoiling for the fight to come - they can't wait. Conservatives have always aired their differences in public and have always emerged the stronger for it. You can do that when you have no hidden agenda.
As America's most widely listened-to social commentator, Rush Limbaugh, succinctly stated, "We want a debate about the Constitution. We want a debate about the role of the judiciary in our society. We want such a debate that the American people are listening to it. We want this debate to be informative, we want this debate to be educational because we will win this debate. We want it right now." I agree, and this battle will be a slam dunk because the Left lacks civic virtue and is bankrupt, both morally and in the arena of ideas.
Our Constitution requires that Judge Alito be given an up-or-down vote from the United States Senate. Make it happen. For if the Democrat Party attempts any other course, they will bare themselves to all Americans as the vicious, petty obstructionists they really are.