Or, How Should Senate Democrats Vote?

In twenty-odd hours of intense questioning, John Roberts has said nothing that would disqualify Democrats from voting for him. Nothing. Conversely, in that time, Roberts said similarly little that would give winger conservatives confidence that he would be a ideological soulmate to Scalia and Thomas, their heroes. In fact, Roberts sounded like he would be a true moderate -- to the left of the now-deceased (and eternally racist) Chief Justice Rehnquist.

Roberts will be confirmed. Democratic votes (after Roberts leaves the Judiciary Committee) should be carefully calibrated solely to exert maximum political pressure on the White House for the next pick, which Dems are seriously worried about. Here are the options:

If Roberts flies through with ten or fifteen Democratic nays, would that encourage Bush to pick someone similarly moderate(-seeming)? If this happened, would Democrats be seen as "more reasonable" if they were forced to fiercely oppose the next nominee -- or even threaten a filibuster? Could the perception of Dem cooperation on Roberts hurt the Republicans if they tried to use the nuclear option to overcome a Dem filibuster on the next nominee?

If Roberts lumbers through with thirty or forty Democratic nays, would that pressure Bush to make his next pick someone who is may also be clearly a "regular" conservative instead of a nutcase? Might it make the possibility of a nutcase-caused filibuster more apparent to the White House if the Dems could put up, say 41 votes in opposition?

OPEN QUESTIONS:*

Does Bush's political weakness at the present time make him more susceptible to direct pressure, i.e., the latter option?

Do the Senate Dems have their shit together enough to employ a unified strategy to influence the White House on their next pick?

Do the Dems deploy the word "filibuster" in Roberts' floor debate to prepare the American people and the media for that future possibility?

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Watch to see the number of Dems voting against Roberts after he leaves the Senate Committee. Look to see if Harry Reid is visibly coordinating a Democratic strategy. Cross your fingers that the Dems have their shit together. Listen carefully to the Senate floor debate: Are Dems growing a spine and using the word filibuster, saying that they won't do it to this candidate, prefamiliarizing the media to that word, preparing for what might come?

*ANSWERS: Yes. Probably not. Probably not.