QUALITY MATTERS

Learning From Alito
—Terry Eastland
Beyond the News

Judge Alito is now Justice Alito, and his appointment offers several important lessons. One is for President Bush, who, we have to admit, blundered in nominating Harriet Miers before he corrected course and chose Samuel Alito. The lesson is that quality matters. Like John Roberts, Sam Alito is a very experienced lawyer. He showed his command of legal issues before the Judiciary Committee, displaying an even temper throughout. Democrats argued that Alito shouldn't be confirmed because his appointment would shift the Court's so-called balance. But the sheer quality of the nominee trumped that argument.

We also learned that a quality nominee can make an appealing case for judicial conservatism. Again like Roberts, Alito stressed to the senators the vital difference between law and politics.

A final lesson is that elections do matter. The Republican majority in the Senate made Alito's confirmation possible. Remember that next fall, when another election season arrives.