This is the same thing as a double switch in baseball. Roberts was slated to replace O'Conner which means that Robert is most likely moderate.
The Senate is already gearing up to fight this as they are claiming that Alito is far to the right of O'Conner. This is where Bush's "strategery" may really hurt us, because Roberts is most likely far to the left of Rhenquist.
The end result is that the court may actually move to the Left since Bush chose to avoid a confirmation hearing for moving Scalia to the chief justice slot.
You really have to take the two nominations and retiring justices as a group, rather than one by one.
The democratic strategy is already in full force to say that O'Conner was a refreshing moderate on the court and that Bush is now replacing her with a ideologue that will upset the balance of the court and the country.
Of course what they don't say is that the court was already moved to the left somewhat when Roberts replaced Rhenquist.
In a double switch in baseball, two guys come off at the same time, and their replacements go on at that same time.
Alito is replacing O'Connor. Roberts has already replaced Rehnquist. Only through suspension of reality can you describe these events any other way.
Don't be absurd.
I don't think this really matters anymore.
Rehnquist's position has been filled. END of story.
Now O'Connor's position is in the process of getting filled.
To say otherwise is to ignore objective reality.
Exactly. Thanks in helping to make this more clear to the others. What is important is the final ideological vote, not how the pieces were put in place. You and I know the Court really is not moving much. By focusing on this Alito/O'Connor falsehood, the liberals and the MSM make it look like it is a massive shift to the right. Just ain't so.
The Rats can claim (and do, without consequence, it seems) anything they wish; that doesn't make it true. If 2 + 2 = 4 (it does), the liberals/commies/Rats would try to find a way (probably already did) to make its sum seem something altother different, as well, if that suited their needs. And that's what they do: lie/spin/deceive.
What effect it has to have Roberts sitting in the Chief Justice chair and Alito in O'Connor's matters, but it's not a catastrophe. I would have preferred Rehnquist lived, or, in the alternative (as became necessary), for Scalia to replace him, and two conservatives sitting in the seats of Scalia and O'Connor. But the President felt it more practical to have someone conservative replace Rehnquist immediately....and from what I've read, he certainly didn't want Stevens to sit as Chief Justice even temporarily. Therefore, Scalia was out of the picture, because he'd have to go through confirmation hearings for Chief Justice, had he been picked.....the result was that the President decided to pull back Roberts for O'Connor's slot and resubmit him for Chief Justice, which necessitated another Justice for O'Connor.
And that's just the reality of the situation. It's called life and sh*t happens.