Daily Briefing, Part I: Alito Was ‘Tidy, But Not Fancy’

• Democrats make “halfhearted” attempt to avert the inevitable confirmation of Samuel Alito; Bush congratulates Alito for “doing a great job.” Committee vote will likely fall along partisan lines; White House expects Alito to win between 60 and 70 votes in the Senate.
[WP, NYT, W$J, USAT, LAT, WT, WT]
• Alito seen to have a “conservative tint.” Historian: “Both Alito and Roberts fall closer to Scalia and Thomas than they do to O’Connor.” [WP, NYT, USAT]
• Alito‘s wife “generated sympathy for her husband in the hearing room and, perhaps, beyond Washington among Americans who had otherwise tuned out.” [NYT]
• Alito “looked tidy but not fancy” — “as unremarkable as possible” — and his wife was “pleasant but not obsequiously adoring,” Robin Givhan writes. [WP]
• Questioning of Alito centered on presidential powers; Roberts was mostly quizzed on civil rights. [WP]
• Sen. Kennedy (D-Mass.) belongs to a Harvard social club that was expelled for only admitting males. [WT]
• Liberal groups prepare for ongoing battle against Alito. [LAT]