Three weeks into the process and David Souter no longer merits 30 seconds on the evening news. Having uncovered next to nothing that seems capable of hampering Souter's Supreme Court nomination, the media have turned their attention elsewhere. The White House is ecstatic. George Bush's aides are predicting a smooth confirmation.
Their optimism is misplaced, but even if they are right, a political time + bomb is ticking. If a Justice Souter votes to weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade before Bush faces re-election in 1992, the President will be castigated for having smuggled an abortion foe onto the court without...