…that is, on any semblance of sanity regarding the Alito nomination. As Paul Mirengoff so ably writes:

The Times’ new test is not only blatantly opportunistic — focusing not on whether Alito will judge fairly and intelligently, but only on whether he will advance the Times’ policy preferences — but it is foolish. The Republicans have a natural majority in the Senate. Under the Times’ approach, a Democratic president might well find it impossible to confirm a liberal or moderate nominee to replace Justice Scalia.

Given the risk the Democrats run in completely making themselves look foolish now and setting themselves up for future embarrasments whenever the next vacancy opens up, you would think the Times, as caretaker and enabler of the Democratic, liberal agenda, would know better.