Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader wanted to withhold voicing an opinion on Samuel Alito until he’d done a little background reading. He’d seen the name before on a whole bunch of “lists” of possible nominations to the Supreme Court. He’d also seen some commentary on Alito from sources he considers likes. All-in-all your Maximum Leader is very pleased with the choice of Alito.

Your Maximum Leader is sure that if you are so inclined you’ve already gone and read the myriad posts by bloggers (of whatever political stripe) and news articles that have flooded the internet and news since yesterday morning. That said there are a few links your Maximum Leader will, nonetheless, point out to you. He particularly likes the quotes that the RNC is getting out from high-profile Democrats on how great Alito was in early confirmation hearings. (Thanks Basil.) Buckethead points to an MSNBC peice that says that Alito wrote a dissent in a case concerning ownership of machine guns. (Your Maximum Leader will have to do more reading on that…) Of course there is always Malkin for a veritable link clearing house.

At what point do people start talking about how this is nothing more than a Rove mind-trick? Really. Your Maximum Leader is waiting for someone out there to say that Miers was just a red-herring so to speak. Bush (under Rove’s guidance) throws out a person who will turn off the base only to have her withdraw and then put up a person who is sure to galvanize the base and put up the big fight to break the will of Senate Democrats to resist. Has anyone espoused that one yet? Your Maximum Leader is sure it is only a matter of hours or days before that one starts around.

Your Maximum Leader believes that the senario he described is too far out to be plausible… But someone out there might buy it.

Your Maximum Leader is enjoying listening to the diversity arguments against Alito. He heard some on the TV this morning… A selection include: “We don’t need another Catholic.” “We don’t need another Italian-American.” “We need another woman.” “We don’t need another white man.” “We need a moderate voice to speak for the mainstream.” But the one we haven’t heard yet is “We don’t need another thoughtful judge in the mold of Scalia.”

Carry on.