Quote of the Day: Jahn Carree kant speke

From James Taranto in Opinion Journal's Best of the Web today, on the Democrats' complaints about Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination:

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts complained that Alito was nominated because "the president was under fire from his conservative base for nominating Harriet Miers, a woman whose judicial philosophy they mercifully attacked."

The Democrats' adopting Miers as a liberal martyr -- and the false claim that conservative opponents of her nomination objected to her on grounds of "judicial philosophy" rather than qualifications -- was a frequent theme. But we cite the Kerry quote for another reason: Is there any doubt that if President Bush said "mercifully" when he meant "mercilessly," the media would mercilessly make fun of him for his inability to speak?

Media double standard aside, I think the "attack" on Miers -- which was about her qualifications as well as her philosophy -- was merciful: it spared us a continuation of the Miers debacle, and brought forth Alito. From where I'm sitting, the only thing merciless was the Democrats' pathetic showing in the judiciary committee, and their ongoing drive off the cliff from the floor of the Senate.