Everyone has been spending plenty of time talking about John Roberts views on the hot-button issues of today and what type of justice he will make on the Supreme Court.
What I haven't seen anyone talk about (and, yes I did search) is the most likely reason that Bush nominated him for Chief Justice before he was even confirmed as an Associate Justice.
It is the Chief Justice presides over the Senate in an impeachment trial of the President.
While we worry about whether Roe vs. Wade is going to get overturned, the White House is looking ahead to losing control of Congress in the 2006 elections. They want to derail any possible impeachment trial by putting a Bush loyalist in charge.
That is the reason that Scalia and Thomas were overlooked for this post. They are both rabid conservatives. However, they are not particularly loyal to George Walker Bush (the man). Roberts, on the other hand, is tied to this President every bit as closely as Rice, Bolton and the rest of the Hee-Haw gang.
You have to admire their ability to think ahead when it comes to saving their own butts. Too bad they don't have that same level of foresight when it comes to the rest of us.