“If Kerry had won Ohio in ‘04 we would now be looking at a 6-3 SCOTUS decision overturning the D.C. circuit and opening the doors to any kind of gun ban or anti-gun scheme the antis could persuade or pay off a Democrat controlled Congress to pass.”
You are correct that all freedom-loving Americans SHOULD be thanking President Bush for this decision. His nomination and subsequent confirmation of Samuel Alito is what gave us this decision today. Alito’s replacement of Sandra Day O’Connor has given us the majority whenever Kennedy decides to agree with us (partial birth abortion, today’s gun case).
However, if Kerry had won in 2004, today’s decision would have still been 5-4 - only Scalia would have written for the dissent. Rehnquist (replaced by Roberts) would have been with us on this one, as he always was (God rest is soul) :)
And yet, there never seemed to be much gratitude for conservatives who held their noses and voted for the Nanny-State liberal Bush in 2004.