The Republicans have have 55 votes in the Senate. That means the every Democrat and 5 Republicans could vote against a nominee and that nominee could still get through. The GOP may never be this strong in the Senate again.
Clarence Thomas was a known conservative and was slimed with the Anita Hill lies, and he still got confirmed at a time when the Dems controlled the Senate.
Don't excuse Bush's wimpiness by saying that a real conservative (Brown, Owen, Luttig, etc.) couldn't get confirmed.
If FR was around during the Souter nomination, I'm sure that many on this thread would have quoted John Sunnunu calling him a "Home Run" for conservatives (compare that to the spin we are getting from the GOP establishment about Miers now) and saying we should blindly trust Bush's judgement.
He was slimed by conservatoves also.
(1991 National Review article 'Thomas more Souteresque than Borkian')
He got slimed from both sides, including the Conservative side, and now these same Conservatives who went out of their way to make Thomas' life miserable for a week, want a judge in the mold of Scalia and Thomas.
Be nice to me. I am a compassionate conservative. I cry easily.
Hey, I know what you are saying. Maybe I do have too much faith. The conservatives in the Senate can still vote No on her if their meetings with her and the confirmation hearings don't go well (as far as they are concerned).