See#27.
Friends,
We will get a few district and appellate judges out of the Judiciary Committee, but the pace will slow in 07 and grind to a halt in 08. Some conservatives without much of a paper trail will be confirmed.
The RATS will bury in committee the best of the conservative judges. The media will be complicit in not informing the American people of this obstruction. This is exactly what was happening in 01 and 02 (after the Jeffords switch) before the President made judges a huge priority in the 02 midterms.
As to Catholics who did not vote Republican, I don't recall the President making much of a pitch regarding judicial appointments in the '06 elections. It is hard to fault the voter when GOP doesn't even make the case to independents/Catholics.
Now, as to potential Supreme Court vacancies, do not despair. The media cannot cover up a Supreme Court vacancy. Even if the nominee is rejected in the Judiciary Committee, we can win a floor vote for a conservative, strict constructionist judge.