And the winner is...Sam Alito...losers to be determined.

You might remember I made a few predictions. So far, they're right on. Funny thing about predictions. I recently read a post from Tacitus who thought Bush would nominate a moderate. As a conservative, he was pretty upset about it, but I imagine he's happy now. JDB over at Charging RINO also thought there was a chance that a weakened Bush might look for a concensus judge. There are good political reasons why that wasn't likely (read my comments at RINO if you're really curious) but there's an even simpler reason to make the predictions I did.

I believe Bush is well intentioned and a visionary, but I also think that every decision he makes is a disaster. Whether that be the deficit spending, the Iraq war, the plans for social security, or the Miers fiasco, you can almost bet on GWB doing what is worst for the country.

The worst thing one could do with the Supreme Court would be to make it dangerously irrational by filling it with lickspittle idiots. Naturally, that was the 1st attempt. So the next worst-case scenario is not actually a conservative court. America will be ok whether the courts are conservative or liberal (though it would do best with what it will never have: a moderate/independent court). The new worst-case scenario is to force a nuclear showdown in the senate, and risk permanently marginalizing the senate's influence (because the senate is the only moderating force in this equation) . Sam Alito seems pretty much on track for that goal.

I'll repeat it when the issue looms larger, but here's a preview:
Weaker Senate = Stronger Executive = More Radical Courts = bad for America.

And that's not a partisan equation. Democrats will rule both the executive and the Senate someday. I expect they'd be as bad as modern Republicans. I hope there is bipartisan legislation against the nuclear option before then.

Starting today, it's going to get ugly.

(PS: Credit where due. Not all of Bush's decisions are disasters. Afghanistan and Roberts were both well done.)