Ramesh says that he “agree[s] with almost every word” of Bill Kristol’s article today. (Ramesh supplies the link). I agree with Ramesh: Kristol gets it just right. In a Roberts-for Rehnquist swap, conservatives — especially those who are most keenly concerned about secularism, abortion and the gay agenda — cannot achieve a net gain, and may get less than a wash. After all, Rehnquist dissented in Roe and his willingness to overturn it never slacked. Now is the time for the President to put the pedal to the metal. Now is the time for Bush to nominate a conservative whose philosophical commitments are (as the dead-tree NR editorial on Roberts put it) more overt” than are Roberts’. Al Gonzales is surely not of that description, but I can think of two other Texans who are: Edith Jones and Emilio Garza.