Alito finds scant Democratic support

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel
Alito had no apparent success on Wednesday in adding to his
scant Democratic support in the Republican-led Senate, which is
expected to soon confirm him.

So far, just one of the Senate’s 44 Democrats — moderate
Ben Nelson of Nebraska — has said he will vote for Alito. All
but about a half dozen others appear certain to oppose him.

Regardless, the full Senate, which Republicans control with
55 of 100 seats, remained headed toward anticipated approval of
President George W. Bush’s conservative nominee within the next
few weeks.

Alito met on Wednesday with three Democrats who voted last
September to confirm now-U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts, but
afterward none of them said that they planned to back Alito.

Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Bill Nelson of Florida said
they remained undecided, and Max Baucus of Montana said he was
inclined to oppose Alito. “I don’t know if he is sufficiently
mainstream,” Baucus told reporters.

If confirmed, Alito, 55, a federal appeals judge since
1990, would replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who
often has been the swing vote on the nine-member court on
abortion, civil rights and other social issues.

“This is a very poor choice,” Senate Minority Leader Harry
Reid of Nevada said after he and fellow Democrats privately
discussed Bush’s nomination of Alito.

“He (Bush) should have gone with Harriet Miers,” Reid said.

Bush nominated Alito on October 31 after Miers had the
president withdraw her name in wake of a revolt by many of the
president’s fellow conservatives who questioned if she had the
clout to move the court to the right.

Alito met with about 70 senators before last week’s
confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and is
expected to meet with several others this week.

The Judiciary Committee is to vote on next Tuesday on
whether to recommend his confirmation to the full Senate, which
may begin debate on the nomination later that day.

No Democrat has threatened a filibuster, largely since they
do not appear to have the 41 votes that would be needed to
sustain such a procedural hurdle in the full Senate.