Jonathan: I’m not sure that the intensity of left-wing opposition to
Bush’s nominees is really going to depend much on who they are to
replace. For one thing, fundraising dynamics for left-wing groups will
require intense opposition even if Bush’s appointee wouldn’t make the
Court more conservative. For another, it would be irrational for the
Left to treat a conservative replacing Rehnquist as a non-event: It
means a Rehnquistian vote continues for several more decades.