If I were Bush, here's what I would consider doing: I would not nominate anyone until late next summer just before the Congressional election campaign started.
Then, I would nominate Gonzalez and watch them sweat.
Y'all are just being silly.
This president is a brick wall. That's that. Forget it. She goes to hearings, she does a mediocre job and the Senators then look to their own futures.
Here's what they see. There are some blue state Dem Senators who will say . . . if I don't support this moderate, I risk a right wing followup nominee. So 1 or 2 of those vote YES.
There are a handful of red state Dems who have to get re-elected. This is a zero risk way to build their pro-Bush credentials. Those few blue state Dems who vote Yes provide cover, and indeed these red state Dem senators provide cover for those above. A few of these vote Yes.
The hardcore right wing GOP red state senators look at this as a zero risk way to get Administration support for some pork spending in their states. They vote YES, especially if they are from the Gulf region.
The RINOs have the Dem votes above as cover for a YES vote, and with a YES vote they get Administration campaign support. It's not even a close call for them.
If she is even mediocre in the hearings, she's in. Expectations by the right wing have been set so very low they they have cut their own throats in this. She need be only basically competent to look for a genius.
But . . . if you're looking for a genius, look at Bush/Rove. Those guys are mindboggling in their genius.
No conservative is going to get
Demo support...not even the most qialified legally....and a filibuster is virtually certain.
If he's actually thinking about nominating Gonzales...
*groan*