EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeek!
Make mine a double: "UH-OH...."
or in Scooby-Doo: "RUH-ROH Shaggy..."
The only name I'd add to your list of good nominees is Janice Rogers Brown- we wouldn't have to guess about where she stands either.
I can understand the politics of it. It would theoretically be easier to get Judge Roberts confirmed but does that justify the risk if all we've been assured about him is incorrect. Then add the fact that there are effectively no checks on a Supreme Court Justice once he's sworn in. If Scalia or Thomas decide tomorrow to become liberal judicial activists, there isn't a damn thing we could do about it. Of course, if that happens, it's time to turn all the cards over and redeal because the game is over, but I think you see the point. There were nominees about whom we wouldn't have had to play a guessing game or try to find the little subtle hints about whether they are true originalists. Yes, they would have provided fodder for the left to attack, but, if the position is the correct one, why not defend it and put the libs on notice? Why try the stealth approach. If the President had nominated Jacques Chirac, the left would still be attacking him. We knew the battle was coming....we should have picked the best hands down nominee, joined the battle and have gotten it settled right out of the gate. Instead, we take the stealth approach and have to walk on pins and needles with the next pick or picks as well. And let me state again, I'm not saying that Judge Roberts isn't an originalist or even a conservative. All I'm saying is that there isn't enough there in the record to make the judgement without having to trust someone else's supposedly informed opinion. If you think that is reliable, try browsing yesterday's posts on SCOTUS and see how many "A reliable and unimpeachable source just told me" posts there were and of them, how many were totally off base. It's the same with every election cycle. We tie ourselves up in knots with each and every poll or pundit comes out and says our guy can't possibly win because.....when in truth they have no better clue than we do!
That raises a tiny red flag in my eyes.