Bush has nominated some guy named Roberts that I've never heard of before to replace O'Connor on the big bench in D.C. His credentials are impressive by any standard, but I ahve little idea of his style. I don't want to say views, because justices are not supposed to be swayed by their own opinions, they are supposed to rule based on the Constitution. What I don't know is if he's more of a strict constructionist, or one of those living document people. Anyway, from the bit I've read in the last few minutes, he's served as an advocate for much of his career and also clerked for Reinquist. He's supposedly a staunch Conservative, but unlikely to ge a full-on Bork or filibuster. My initial reaction is that he's a good choice.

Now on to the motivation of the evening. It's all about Rove! Or is it? This is one conspiracy theory I agree with, the timing. I wouldn't be surprised to find out Bush had this press conference tonight to distract from the Plame deal. Whether or not you have a problem with Rove, or his alleged involvement in leaking a covert identity, you have to agree that he's being smeared through the mud the last week, and that doesn't look good for the administration. I gotta hand it to Bush for sticking by his man (an innocent one, I believe), despite the pressure he's getting from the press. If you accept that there wasn't any wrongdoing, then you have to respect Bush for his loyalty to a longtime staff member. I'd bet the average person out there that doesn't pay much attention to politics thinks he's guilty as hell. As little as four years ago, before I began to follow politics, I was always read to think the worst of politicians who were getting smeared in the press. If you don't pay attention, all you see is snippets on the news before you change the channel, or maybe a headliine here and there, and if that's all you saw today, you'd think Rove should be in jail.