Alito will have nearly the same judicial power as an associate, and he doesn't have to deal with the same administrative oversight burden (of other courts, not SCOTUS) that the CJ does. I rather like that things shook out the way they did, including the trip down Miers Lane.
has Leahy actually asked a question yet?
Me too. When O'Connor announced her retirement all of the talk was about the need to replace her with a woman. All of that talk was silenced with Miers. Now we get this absolutely phenomenal jurist we would have otherwise overlooked due to his gender.
Sometimes I wonder if President Bush plans ALL of these things or some of them are just happy coincidences.
I'm glad you said that, because I feel the same way. It seems like the Harriet Miers' bruhaha brought out and solidified support for Alito.