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Political Play of the WeekBy Bill Schneider RELATED
SPECIAL REPORTYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Before President Bush announced his Supreme Court pick, the political armies of the right and left were girding for war. Tony Perkins, head of the conservative Family Research Council, said his group "is ready to energize the grassroots." It was supposed to be the mother of all political battles. "A titanic clash between two competing and radically different versions of the Constitution," said Ralph Neas, head of the liberal advocacy group People for the American Way. Then President Bush presented John Roberts. The 50-year old conservative serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. He is veteran appellate attorney who has argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court, both in private practice and as deputy solicitor general during the elder Bush's administration. "I always got a lump in my throat whenever I walked up those marble steps to argue a case before the court," Roberts said. The confirmation process is just beginning, but at this point, there is no reason to expect an ugly personal fight. Like the one over Clarence Thomas. "His credentials look very good, he seems to be a very nice man," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said. Nor does Roberts seem doctrinaire. "He's a straight shooter, someone who is very smart, who doesn't oversell his case," Harvard law professor Heather Gerken said. There's no reason to expect a bitter cultural showdown -- like the fight over Robert Bork. The public is not intensely polarized over Roberts. Sure, Republicans are almost all for him. But only 24 percent of Democrats have a negative impression of Roberts. Two thirds of Democrats are either positive or neutral. Roberts certainly faces a vigorous challenge, but the country may end up with something totally unexpected: a serious -- and civil -- debate on the issues. "Cool your jets, let the process go forward," Reid said. There's not much talk right now of using the ultimate weapons -- the nuclear option, the filibuster. "Sometimes there's hallway whispers," Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska, said. "None of that to date. It's still new, but I'm not hearing it." Some on the right, and many on the left, are suspicious of Roberts. But both sides may be forced to conclude, reluctantly, that Roberts is the best they're going to get. You can argue with Roberts' views. But there doesn't seem to be much argument over one point: that it was a politically savvy choice. And the Play of the Week. We also have a runner-up. This man was standing next to President Bush in Washington on Tuesday when the president announced that he was going to name his Supreme Court pick that evening. Big news. Two days later, the same man was standing next to British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London when Blair responded to the second wave of terror attacks. More big news. He's the political Zelig -- Australian prime minister John Howard. 
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