Bush: Alito will bring "a lot of class to that court"

Confirmation hearings begin today for Samuel Alito, and George W. Bush did his part this morning to make sure that Alito -- and not, say, Tom DeLay -- owned every minute of the news cycle. After an early morning breakfast with Alito at the White House, the president trotted his nominee out for a turn before the cameras.

There, Bush explained that Alito must be confirmed because the Supreme Court without him is a little, well, tacky. Citing the "well qualified" rating Alito earned from the American Bar Association, Bush said: "Sam's got the intellect necessary to bring a lot of class to that court."