Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

January 31, 2006

Alito Sworn In

Samuel Alito, "who was confirmed by the Senate on a 58-42 vote this morning, was quickly sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court today, completing a makeover that the Bush administration hopes will turn the nation's highest court in a more conservative direction," the Washington Post reports.

Quick analysis: Had everyone who opposed Alito backed a filibuster, he wouldn't be a Supreme Court Justice today.

Better analysis comes from Rick Hasen, who had earlier predicted Alito would not be confirmed, but now thinks he overestimated both the salience of the abortion issue and "strength and saavy" of the Democratic party. Hasen says Democrats lost much more than this one vote: "Though the 'Gang of 14' agreement has saved the Senate from the nuclear option, it has seriously weakened the Democrats, who apparently won't be able to block any competent Bush nominee to the Supreme Court (should another nomination open up)."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the creator of Political Wire, a political column updated around the clock with the most interesting news, buzz and commentary.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

This is a personal site and does not necessarily reflect the views of any company, political campaign or advocacy group.

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