Como Se Dice "Spine'?(A)(EDITORIALS)

Politics: What's this? Republicans taking their fight for Bush federal appeals court nominee Miguel Estrada to the . . . streets?!? Ay caramba!

As street fighters, Republicans have never measured up. So it comes as a surprise to learn they're going to the wall -- maybe literally -- for the man they want as the first Hispanic on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The president said as much last week to Hispanic business leaders gathered at the White House: "I will stand by that man's side until he is sworn in." Meanwhile, pro-Estrada forces rallied in Miami and held vigils in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

We haven't seen such passion on the right since the Florida recount in November 2000, when wingtipped Bush backers pounded on the doors of that Miami-Dade counting room.

By ruckus standards, it was pretty tame. But because those raising it were Republicans, the incident took on "near riot" dimensions in the media.

GOP support today for Estrada, whose nomination has been blocked by an unprecedented filibuster in the Senate, might not be as fervent as it was then for Bush. Then again, it might. Republicans might have a hard time locating the jugular, but they seem to know a good symbolic issue when they see it.

In this case, they're ...