But Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) warned that a nomination of Alito, or any other candidates too far to the right, could run into trouble.

“This is not one of the names I’ve suggested to the president,” Reid said yesterday of Alito on CNN’s “Late Edition.”

“In fact, I’ve done the opposite,” he said. “I think it would create a lot of problems.”

Harry Reid is obviously confused on the issue, so I’m going to clear something up for him: this is not his nomination to make. He doesn’t get to choose.

The reality is that the Democrats believe that they should dictate a Republican choice for the Supreme Court--which is to say, they believe that losing the Presidential election shouldn’t mean that they actually allow President Bush to exercise his Presidential prerogatives. Alito might not be the guy that they would choose, but that only makes sense. If Kerry had won the election, I’m guessing that he wouldn’t have chosen a nominee that would sit entirely well with me, either.

So, Mr. Reid, prove that he isn’t qualified for the position or prove that he has some deficiency that would keep him from serving the country well. Failing that, I expect Alito to be a Supreme Court justice regardless of your philosophical differences.