These two analyses suggest--I’m going to regret writing this--that the confirmation will be a cakewalk. According to the NYT’s Linda Greenhouse, Roberts hit the day’s rhetorical high point. And the WaPo’s Dan Balz offers evidence from Notre Dame’s Richard Garnett (for more, go here) that Roberts, at least, has his eye on the prize--not just being confirmed, but making the case for a self-consciously limited judicial role in a regime characterized by the rule of law. (For more on this, see Lucas Morel’s most excellent post.)

For summaries of the day’s events, go here, here, and here.

For other analysis and interesting back story, go here (Specter’s confused unreliability), here ("elections matter"), here (Lee Otis vs. Nan Aron), and here (what it means to be the "political" deputy SG). Obviously, also, Bench Memos and Power Line should be among your bookmarks.