«hasn't changed anyone's mind.»

«[Friends describe Libby as engaging and unfailingly polite; it is his habit to stand when a dining partner excuses himself. He is diligent about returning reporters' calls, albeit on deep background and, in most cases,] telling you absolutely nothing, ... is someone who would seem to spend a lot of effort at not getting caught up in something like this.»

«I think she'll end up withdrawing.»

«I'll be surprised if we actually end up with hearings in two weeks. There's so little enthusiasm for this nominee anywhere, and it's hurting the president so much at this time when he's otherwise in trouble. I do think she'll withdraw.»

«[Republican senators] want it to go away, ... They don't want to offend Bush, and they don't want to vote for her.»

«To the degree that Bush was enamored of a stealth strategy, I have got to believe he has learned there is a real downside.»

«It is very hard to avoid the conclusion that President Bush flinched from a fight on constitutional philosophy,»

«The court is a long-term thing. It's crazy to mess up your long-term legacy to possibly help him with a short-term PR problem. I think Gonzales would be a disaster.»

«His numbers have dropped and he is probably not the best messenger to independents and swing voters, but in terms of managing an argument, he is good at it and his style lends itself to it.»

«Would any of his aides have the nerve to tell him that as Supreme Court jurists go, Gonzales would be mediocre - and not a solid bet to move the court in a constitutionalist direction? ... Would any of them have the nerve to explain to the president that a Gonzales nomination would utterly demoralize many of his supporters, who are sticking with him and his party, through troubles in Iraq and screw-ups with Hurricane Katrina, precisely because they want a few important things out of a Bush presidency - and one of these is a more conservative court?»