Here's another theory, Bush has been cowed:
"New Republic Liberals Happy with Bush Choice of Roberts
The New Republic ^ | 07/21/05
WHITE HOUSE WATCH Legal Theory by Ryan Lizza
The question this week is: Why did George W. Bush make such a seemingly responsible choice? There is little in the history of Bush's decision-making that would have predicted the president would settle on someone like John G. Roberts Jr. for the Supreme Court...
Finally, Bush did not slavishly reward his base of evangelical conservatives. Some conservatives are describing Roberts as a "bold" choice. He is clearly not. His commitment to the social causes that animate the religious right is shrouded in mystery compared with that of other potential nominees, such as Priscilla Owen, Edith Jones, Michael McConnell, or J. Michael Luttig. Some of the more rabid conservatives have started to point this out. On the fringes, there was Ann Coulter,... "We don't know much about John Roberts," she sputtered. "Stealth nominees have never turned out to be a pleasant surprise for conservatives." Over at The Weekly Standard, Fred Barnes, perhaps the most pro-Bush columnist in America, posted some morning-after regrets, noting that Bush had made a "safe" choice rather than pick a true ideological conservative. National Review's endorsement of Roberts was notably tepid. "He will, almost certainly," the magazine announced with some trepidation, "be an improvement on his predecessor."
These conservatives had reason to expect more...Considering the importance of the high Court to his most rabid supporters, there was every reason to believe that Bush would choose a more ideological conservative than Roberts. ...The more brass-knuckle and base-pleasing Luttig apparently made it to the end of the sweepstakes but was passed over for the more moderate, more even-tempered, and more easily confirmable Roberts. After 15 years of crying, "No more Souters!" religious conservatives have been presented with someone whose views on many social issues are as unknown to them as those of their judicial bête noire were in 1990.
Why, then, did George W. Bush break with all of his known habits and instincts Tuesday night? For one, the Democrats' strategy of unified opposition and obstruction may finally have chastened the White House. Democrats have recently made life miserable for Bush..."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1448693/posts
Seems to be the other way around to me. I don't think that I've seen so many gaping liberal mouths in one week. It seems to me that with Roberts, Bush is going to get his cake and eat it too.
Baloney.