I must say that this is the first time I've ever heard Rudman described as very conservative. He is a social and cultural liberal. Its one thing to disagree with the 'religious right', its another to engage in typical leftist demagogery of them as Rudman does. To the extent that social conservatives have their agenda implemented as policy, they have to first go through the pesky process of winning votes, whereas the process favored by Rudman is to have the Courts absuse the power they have given themselves and impose liberal solutions that can't pass muster in the proper democratic channels.
You are right of course that the buck stopped with Bush the Elder as it relates to Souter. H Bush does bear the ultimate blame for that disaster, but Rudman played a key part in pulling the wool over H's eyes by apparently deceiving John Sununu.
McCain's association with Rudman lended further credence to the belief that he would govern as a social liberal, despite a career voting record that is probably slightly to the right.
see #54