Rehnquist's Successor: A Test of Bush's Political Philosophy and Resolve

John Roberts may be a "stealth nominee" for the Supreme Court, but it's unlikely that Bush's nominee to replace Rehnquist can be as stealthy as Roberts. For one thing, conservative Senators surely will try to ferret out, if not block, another pseudo-conservative like O'Connor or Kennedy (not to mention Souter).

Knowing that, will Bush decide to placate his conservative base and nominate a limited-government conservative-libertarian like Janice Rogers Brown? If he doesn't, Bush's slide toward the accommodationist policies of his father will be confirmed. A sad waste of a Republican majority in Congress.

It's showdown time. If Bush fails to nominate someone in the mold of Judge Brown I will withdraw everything I have ever said about the GOP being the last, best hope for the restoration of limited government.