Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes

Trouble is already starting for John Roberts: documents are being withheld, the nominee is saying he "doesn't remember" key portions of his past. This is fun.

I'm pursuing a "don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes" strategy. If you fire off letters now, before much is known about the nominee, people will say you are a knee jerk leftie who would oppose any Bush nominee. Wait till the nasty stories, the old, unfortunately worded statement before a conservative body. Then fire.

Of course, pursing this strategy with intellectual honesty means that I must be open to the idea that I will never get a clean shot. If Roberts comes through the nomination process smelling like a rose then I have to say with all honesty that Bush made a reasonable appointment. The early signs, though, are that he didn't.