You're a smart guy/gal. :-} It makes no sense. Bush knew he was gonna get a load of crap from the right. He did it anyway. He wants erudite originalists on the appellate courts and country bumpkin liberals on SCOTUS? I ain't buying it.
Bush nominated a female, white, Vernon Jordan. A rainmaker in and from Texas. I'm sure she's well connected inside the beltway after all this time as well.
This was a political nomination -- not an academic one. She'll get her lesson in reality here shortly.