Please refer me to Thomas's brilliant decisions pre-confirmation, when NR was calling him "souteresque." Thank you.
I am glad you asked, because this seems to be a source of confusion. When W promised to appoint judges like Scalia or Thomas, Thomas had been on the Supreme Court for many years.
Remember? The elder Bush put him on the court? Then there were 8 Clinton years? Then W ran for president? Then W promised judges like Thomas?
It happened in sequence.