Could it be that the Meirs nomination was an enormously successful ploy by Rove? Think about it. There really is no way to think that Meirs was a qualified candidate. So why do it?

First, provide smokescreen cover for the Plame indictments and, more importantly, a fixable cause of Bush's falling numbers. Those numbers are only going to rebound now.

Second, get the base revved up. They were ready to split from Bush over Meirs. Now that he has "seen the light", they are even more revved up to support Alito. The avalanche of support now is far greater than if Alito had been trotted out first.