SUPREME SPIN: Schumer's latest on Alito:

"If he is out of the mainstream and will use his tremendously powerful position as Supreme Court judge to impose his views on the American people, then there's a potential for a filibuster, and no one really knows that until the hearings."

Clearly "impose" is the left's term of art for judicial rulings that fail to advance the social-engineering agenda that the left continues to be unable to advance through the ballot box. No less clearly, Alito will be confirmed and will join a Supreme Court majority that gets serious about undoing the radical activism that began with the Warren Court. The new 5-4 majority will proceed slowly and carefully, to be sure, but a process of correcting the imbalances of leftist activist judges will go forward. (Latest sign of weakness behind blustering rhetoric: they plan to delay a vote on Alioto, which one assumes will allow them to go to their wacked-out leftist supporters and say: "Out of conviction, we postponed." Wow. Hardball.) If Justice Stevens should leave the Court during Bush's term, the Dems will likely filibuster Bush's next nominee because the stakes will be enormous. All the more reason why continuing GOP control of the Senate is crucial after 2006 (even though conservatives and libertarians have many good reasons for not feeling much respect for the GOP majority in both houses on issues ranging from bad action on prescription drugs and no action on illegal immigration).