For most of the nation's history, nobody gave a dam about who the President nominated to serve on the Supreme Court. The Senate rather routinely confirmed his appointments, regardless of the nominee's political leanings. There seemed to be a type of gentleman's agreement which respected the right of an elected president to have the nominees that he favored confirmed.
That excellent arrangement was axed, probably permanently, by radical leftist, judicial activist supporters on the Senate Confirmation Committee during the Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings. The basic objections to Bork stemmed from his failing the "litmus test" of Roe v. Wade. The opposition to Thomas took the form of character assassination, involving unsupported accusations of sexual harassment by a vindictive former co-worker.
We can probably look forward to more of the same this time, regardless of the qualifications and character of the person that Bush nominates.
