Bush nominates Alito

President Bush this morning is nominating Judge Samuel Alito, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, to fill Justice O'Connor's seat on the United States Supreme Court.  This is a fabulous choice.  Few -- if any -- of his generation have the breadth and depth of Judge Alito's legal credentials and experience:  he's been a mob-busting prosecutor, a deputy in the Office of Legal Counsel (the Department of Justice's brain trust), and a lawyer in the Solicitor General's office.  He's also been a sitting, well regarded judge for more than a decade.

There's also this:  Judge Alito will soon be the fifth Catholic currently serving on the Court.  Chris Hitchens must be freaking out.