According to pretty much everybody, the numbers add up that John Roberts will be confirmed no matter what. He doesn’t stand up as an extraordinary candidate, at least according to two Republican members of the Gang of 14. That means no filibuster. Even if the Democrats tried, the Republicans would almost certainly have the 50 votes to override the filibuster (the 48 Republicans who were not part of the Gang of 14 and two of those who were, plus a tiebreaker by the V.P.).

Ok, putting aside math, most people agree that his ideology is somewhere between an O’Connor and a Rehnquist. That means there were plenty of candidates who would have been worse. Considering that the Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, it’s about the best we could have hoped for. If Rehnquist was retiring too, it might have been a different ballgame. The Dems would have had more ground to argue for at least one moderate since they knew there were going to get at least one more just like Rehnquist. They would have had more bargaining room too, since the more right-wing nominee would have been easier to classify as an “extraordinary circumstance” to filibuster.

So, there really isn’t anything left to do but put on a show, confirm the man, and move on. It’s in the interest of the Left to do that as quickly as possible. Why? So we can get back to the Plame scandal. The White House is trying to put an end to that before it gains any more traction in the minds of the American public. I’m tired of the right-wingers controlling the media like this. We need to make sure this issue stays front and center.

Nevermind that crime(s) were most likely committed. These people outed a CIA operative and endangered national interests. Rather than disavowing such behavior, the Republican party has been busy circling the wagons to protect their own. Proving, once again, that they care more about power than anything else. Including national security.

So let’s get Roberts into his shiny new black robe just as fast as we can.

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