At least PAT is consistent. As former chair of the U.S. Senate Intelligence committee, PAT consistently sided with the Bush Administration's warrantless domestic wiretapping program, claim to have unlimited presidential power to "protect the country," torture of detainees, and misleading, discredited "evidence" for the war in Iraq. One might say that PAT is a lap-dog of the conservative minority; after all, he votes with his party nearly 87% of the time. That's a little higher than the other Republicans in the Senate.

But more importantly, what did PAT think of other recent - and more conservative - Supreme Court nominees, such as Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts?

“Over the course of the hearings, the nation has had an opportunity to learn more about Judge Alito’s character, professional experience, and approach to the law. It is clear that Judge Alito’s educational background is quite impressive. The son of public school teachers, Judge Alito grew up in a family in which the importance of education and hard work were firmly rooted. His father, who arrived in the United States as an infant, knew first-hand the struggles of growing up in poverty. His ability to pull himself up by his bootstraps and emphasize education as the window to a better life laid a firm foundation for his family.

“One only needs to look at Judge Alito’s resume to see his extensive experience in both prosecuting and applying the law... While some have lodged that his decisions are biased and that he is an ideologue with a political agenda, his record, his testimony, and the testimony of his colleagues and others who have worked with him dispel those allegations. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Alito stated, ‘...A judge can’t have any agenda. A judge can’t have any preferred outcome in any particular case... The judge’s only obligation – and it’s a solemn obligation – is to the rule of law, and what that means is that in every single case, the judge has to do what the law requires.’"