— "This decision had the advantage of being acceptable to conservatives, plus Democrats won't be able to attack him. There is nothing to grab a hold of, to whack him on." — An administration official

— "Virtually every conservative who knows him trusts him and thinks he's a competent guy." — Newt Gingrich

— "(He) has voiced opposition to many forms of abortion. He dislikes affirmative-action programs, contending that they amount to reverse discrimination. Also, he has vigorously defended ... the Lord's Prayer in its public schools." — Los Angeles Times

— "He is a remarkable intellect and he's had great experience and he's had wide knowledge, and you all would enjoy an evening or more with him." — C. Boyden Gray

— "This guy is a complete S.O.B. of a conservative and you can't prove it." — P.J. O'Rourke

— "When you look at the man's record, his experience, his integrity and his ability to deal with tough questions of law in a way that the courts should, in a restrained way, not to attempt to legislate from the bench, I think he's a man in tune with the times." — Dick Thornburgh

— "His view is: 'Here's what it says state government can do — and if it doesn't say it can do it, then it can't do it.'" — Lawyer who argued cases before the nominee

— "(He) seems to be a judicial conservative, what we call a constitutional constructionist. ... That's satisfactory with us, if that's true." — National Right to Life's John Willke

— "He is a 'stealth nominee.' ... The right's not yelling; the left is trying to yell but can't find much to yell about." — Bob Beckel