Conference Call with GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman

The blogger conference call hosted by Ken Mehlman has just ended.  The Chairman sounds upbeat and energetic about Alito's nomination, but clearly anticipates an ugly battle.

Some highlights from the call (lightly paraphrased, except as noted):

We can expect the left to wage an "offensive partisan campaign" against the nominee.

On pre-hearing strategy:  We will focus on Alito's background and experience.  He will meet directly with Senators on both sides.  He has been confirmed unanimously on two occasions by the Senate and the left will be in a difficult situation if they choose to attack him.  As more Americans come to know the nominee, they will develop tremendous confidence in him.

On filibuster prospects:  With two prior unanimous confirmations, a filibuster is hard to imagine.  If 2 or more of the Republican Gang of 14 don't find Alito "extraordinary" (in a bad way), the Constitutional option remains viable anyway.  And if 2 or more of the Democrat Gang don't favor filibuster, it won't be on the table to begin with.  "The only thing extraordinary about this nominee are his extraordinary credentials."

On basing one's vote on a nominee's ideology: A vote against Alito based solely on ideology would be incredibly devastating to our Constitutional system.  Moving away from the Ginsburg or Roberts standard to a new standard that involves an ideological litmus test would yield a very unfortunate political byproduct.  Every member of the Senate should remember that this matter is not about today and it's not about them.  It's about our Constitutional order.

On whether the Miers nomination was a "set-up": The President nominated Miers because he believe she had the philosophy and character required of a Supreme Court Justice.  The Miers problem was one of documentation, whereby she concluded that given her position, the only way for her to illustrate her Constitutional perspective was by providing documents that would compromise the President's executive privilege.

Elsewhere:
Ankle Biting Pundits, Blogs for Bush, TownHall.com, Michelle Malkin, The Political Teen

Many thanks to Ken Mehlman, Patrick Ruffini, Tracey Schmitt, and Brian Jones from the RNC for organizing and hosting the call.