Back in March 2002, Karl Rove made a defiant speech about judicial nominations. He didn't mention Estrada, but he was talking about judges like Estrada. I think today is a good day to remember Rove's words, because today he had to eat them:

As the Senate Judiciary Committee was voting Thursday evening to reject U.S. District Judge Charles W. Pickering for an appellate court position, presidential adviser Karl Rove was telling an influential Christian political action group that President Bush would continue to nominate conservatives as federal judges.

"We're not going to have a pleasant day today [in the Senate]," Rove told the Family Research Council at the Willard Hotel, according to a tape recording given to The Washington Post by an attendee. ". . . This is not about a good man, Charles Pickering. This is about the future. This is about the U.S. Supreme Court. And this is about sending George W. Bush a message that 'You send us somebody that is a strong conservative, you're not going to get him.'

"Guess what?" Rove added. "They sent the wrong message to the wrong guy."

Har-de-har-har.

By the way, I have to give two thumbs up to my homeboy, Charles Schumer -- he's steady and relentless in this fight (in other words, he fights with the tenacity of a Republican, and I say that as a compliment). I disagree with the guy sometimes, but I often wish he were the Democratic leader in the Senate. Too Eastern? Too, er, ethnic? That shouldn't matter. Do the Republic ever worry about naming one Southerner after another to leadership positions? The number of people below the Mason-Dixon Line who'd be put off by Schumer is roughly equivalent to the number of people up here who find Tom DeLay repellent (or, in the old days, Trent Lott). If Daschle loses his reelection bid next year, I say give the job to Chuck.