Judge Roberts was confirmed:
Judge John G. Roberts Jr. was confirmed as the 17th chief justice of the United States today in a formality that intensified speculation over who will be President Bush’s next Supreme Court nominee.
The Senate confirmed Judge Roberts by a vote of 78 to 22, with unanimous support from Republicans and with many Democrats voting for him as well. Judge Roberts was to be sworn in by Mr. Bush at the White House this afternoon amid expectations that the president will announce his next choice for the court very soon.
Those voting for– all 55 Republicans, 22 Democrats, and Jeffords.
Those voting against- Bayh, Biden, Boxer, Cantwell, Clinton, Corzine, Dayton, Durbin, Feinstein, Harkin, Inouye, Kennedy, Kerry, Lautenberg, Mikiulski, Obama, Reed, Reid, Sarbanes, Schumer, Stabenow.
The bold names are those who are frequently mentioned as 2008 Presidential candidates. I don’t think any Democrats with publicly stated Presidential ambitions voted yes (well, Lieberman did, but I have a better chance of being the ’08 Democratic nominee than Joe Lieberman).
In my own state, Byrd and Rockefeller voted yes.
Now we shall see what happens with Bush’s next nominee. Is he going to veer right to shore up the base or will he nominate someone else like Roberts?