Completely wrong. Thomas was well known for his libertarian leanings before he was appointed as a Federal Judge, let alone when he was headed for the SC.
No nominee has ever completely blind-sided the legal community as much as Harriet Miers. No one ever considered her a serious candidate for ANY POSITION of importance. She is where she is only because she was once Laura Bush's college buddy.
The nomination is a scandal -- corrupt cronyism at its worst.
Is that why The National Review feared that he was another David Souter?