I should have noted again the Birmingham News edit, too, especially because it comes from a more liberal edit page:

Perhaps it’s fair enough to argue that Pryor has an incentive to temper his behavior while he is awaiting Senate approval. But to buy that, you’d have to disregard the rest of his legal career, which is wholly consistent with his actions as part of the 11th Circuit.
No, Pryor isn’t perfect, and this newspaper hasn’t agreed with him on every issue. But even people who have found themselves opposite Pryor can agree he is a conscientious public official who respects and follows the law – even when he disagrees with it.
At the very least, Pryor is entitled to a vote of the full Senate. And if they look at Pryor’s record objectively, senators will gladly confirm him as a federal appeals judge.