Alito prospects

After laying out some of the problems facing Alito’s confirmation, Kos asks:

Will Republicans in the Senate go along with a judge who seeks to undermine the legislative branch, and hence their own power?

I think that the administration may have a few tricks up its sleeve to make Alito happen. I wonder especially how much control the administration has over the justice department, and whether the Abramoff scandal will be held out as a huge stick to threaten senators with should they defect from the party line (by which I mean the president’s decree). I can see this being played by Rove, as the scandal can likely be concluded to the satisfaction of the press without netting everyone involved, allowing certain senators to save their careers by sacrificing our democracy.