Handicapping Alito
I've certainly been wrong before, but from where I sit, it appears you might as well go ahead and swear the guy in already. As I argued yesterday, it will be all but impossible for Democrats to credibly spin Alito as some pro-life zealot -- or any kind of a zealot, for that matter, and his credentials and his resume are, of course, impeccable. Barring any unforeseen revelations, Democrats will have to search long and hard for a legitimate reason to oppose him.
The hard-core senators from True Blue states will figure out a way, of course, legitimate or not, but it's hard to imagine they could actually block the nomination. Check my math on this, but nineteen of the Democrats who voted to confirm John Roberts will have to switch their votes to oppose Alito even to sustain a filibuster. Frankly, I don't see where those nineteen votes would come from. That's all the Democrats but three. Honestly, I don't see it happening. For what it's worth, TradeSports seems to agree.