HERE COME THE JUDGE – AT 3:20 P.M. ET:  The president will announce his choice for the Supreme Court tomorrow night.  The Democrats are already calling it one of the worst choices in human history, worse than Moses turning the wrong way in the desert and missing the oil.

Get set for major-league weeping.  If you know a Democrat, give him, her, or whatever, a pack of Kleenex.

We usually don't like speculative stories here, but The New York Times has a pretty good reporting piece on the pressures on the president to make the right call:

Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, told President Trump this past week that Judges Raymond M. Kethledge and Thomas M. Hardiman presented the fewest obvious obstacles to being confirmed to replace Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the Supreme Court, according to Republican officials briefed on the conversation.

While careful not to directly make the case for any would-be justice, Mr. McConnell made clear in multiple phone calls with Mr. Trump and the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, that the lengthy paper trail of another top contender, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, would pose difficulties for his confirmation.

Mr. McConnell is concerned about the volume of the documents that Judge Kavanaugh has created in his 12 years on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, as well as in his roles as White House staff secretary under President George W. Bush and assistant to Kenneth W. Starr, the independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton.

The number of pages is said to run into the millions, which Mr. McConnell fears could hand Senate Democrats an opportunity to delay the confirmation vote until after the new session of the court begins in October, with the midterm elections looming the next month. And while Judge Kavanaugh’s judicial opinions are publicly known, Mr. McConnell is uneasy about relitigating Bush-era controversies, the officials briefed on his discussions with Mr. Trump said.

COMMENT:  We recall the wise advice from William F. Buckley Jr, who advised the Republican Party always to nominate the most conservative candidate who can be elected.  The same advice goes for Supreme Court nominations.  The president should name the most Constitutionally committed conservative who can actually win confirmation.

The choices I've seen so far can probably all be confirmed, though a few might need the support of vulnerable Democratic senators who are running for re-election this year in red states.

July 8, 2018