Alito's Way.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

Supreme Court: President Bush reacted to last week's troubles by naming a solid constitutionalist with a long, distinguished record. That means a hard fight -- but a fight over principle is just what this White House needs.

Judge Samuel Alito of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals is the opposite of a "stealth candidate." Democratic senators and liberal activists will scour his lengthy paper trail over the coming weeks in search of ammunition to use against him. Expect to see Alito vilified in TV commercials. His confirmation hearings promise to be a battle royale.

The question is whether Alito's foes will stoop to the level of the Clarence Thomas hearings and produce someone who accuses Alito of dark deeds from the past.

It's vital to bear in mind why the Anita Hill circus was inflicted on the country in 1991. It is because the Supreme Court is how liberals get policies enacted that they know the American people would never let Congress approve. And the appointment of justices like Thomas and Antonin Scalia -- who see the Constitution as a rock rather than a lump of clay that the judiciary can reshape on a whim -- is the single greatest threat to their power.

The contest to come in the Senate will be one of ideas. The more the American people hear the things Democratic senators such as Chuck Schumer of New York, Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Joe Biden of Delaware think the Supreme Court should be doing, the better it will be for Alito and the president who nominated him.

Alito's record demonstrates common sense and fidelity to the law. He understands the importance of enforcing contracts in a free economy -- both for individuals and businesses. He was a crusading U.S. attorney in New Jersey, prosecuting mobsters, drug kingpins and corporate criminals. He sent a Japanese Red ...