The Supreme Court is one of the last government domains unconquered by the Republican Party. The Republican Congress is vigorously advocating for a tenacious conservative candidate to establish complete control of the government. Thus, the nation is in the crux of a political contention that has been under extreme scrutiny from both parties and the American public.

Since the Supreme Court position available is so important, the nominees have been required to describe their political positions not only to Congress, but to the public as well. Under this intense examination, many Americans are still mystified about Bush’s original choice of a nominee. Why Miers? Well, she was a close friend of Bush. So why not nominate all your close friends. It will be a big party!

The fact remains that the Miers nomination was a purely political one. Bush was trying to satisfy everyone at the same time. Newsflash: That’s not possible.

Michael Graham, a political commentator, described the situation precisely: “Stop the nomination of Harriet Miers, the worst court pick since Portland took Sam Bowie over Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Michael Jordan in the ’84 NBA Draft.”

Weakened by a decreasing popularity rating, Bush sought to produce a candidate who would appease both the Democrats and Republicans in Congress, thus boosting his support from both sides. He thought he had chosen the most secure option, but in reality he lost all support. Miers, being heavily under-qualified, with no previous judicial experience, and no previous dealings with the constitution, was not supported by the Republican base.

The Republicans in Congress, disconcerted with Miers, followed the correct course of action and put pressure on her to withdraw her nomination. Miers was not supported by anyone and as a result, withdrew her nomination.

In other words, the Miers nomination was a very tactless move. Bush clearly made a grave mistake.

To recover from this error, Bush needed a nomination that was well-placed and that would secure and satisfy the Republican base. Neither John Roberts nor Miers filled the gaping social conservative hole left by Rehnquist, so a new candidate with strong conservative beliefs was expected. This coupled with Miers’ withdrawal indicated to Bush that he needed to select a strong social conservative.

Samuel Alito has several redeeming features: he is conservative, qualified and the right nominee at the right time, providing the court with a crucial swing vote.

Conservative. Alito has made his explicitly conservative stance on controversial issues such as abortion clear through his judicial decisions and public statements. He has provided a spark to a disappointed Republican Party, especially its base, which completely rejected an underqualified and incompetent Harriet iers.

Now the conservative base is once again Bush’s sidekick, supporting the new candidate in spite of doubts arising from the heavy controversy that clouded Harriet Miers nomination.

In short, Alito fits this description perfectly, and will rally the conservative movement by providing the missing piece in its dominance of U.S. government.

Qualified. Alito has superb qualifications. He worked as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and as assistant attorney at the Third Circuit Court of Appeals before later becoming a judge on that same court when he was appointed by George H.W. Bush. He also has had much experience as a top attorney, working on numerous Supreme Court cases.

Swing vote. The Republicans are aiming for a solid Supreme Court – a court that will eliminate controversial swing votes.

And while the Democrats are ready to filibuster any new conservative candidate that Bush nominates, the GOP base is ready for a fight. Alito has secure credentials that even the Democrats will have difficulty contesting, and it is clear where Alito stands on most controversial issues, so what is there left to talk about? The Democrats are hoping for a more moderate candidate, but seem to forget that we have a very conservative president and a Congress controlled by conservatives.

Michael Birrer is a sophomore in the College.