Bush Judicial Nominee Miguel Estrada: “Judge Garland Is Astronomically Qualified And Should Be Confirmed”

From the March 20 edition of CBS' Face the Nation:

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JOHN DICKERSON (HOST): Miguel, what do you make of the Republican strategy to just block?

MIGUEL ESTRADA: Well, look, let me get started with my view which is to say, when president puts somebody who is a qualified person, the Senate should give him a hearing and get him through. And I think Judge Garland is astronomically qualified and should be confirmed. The strategy is a political strategy, and it made enormous sense for Leader McConnell to do before the announcement, because it forced the White House to come to the table and put on the table the best-qualified person that is the most attractive to the Republican Party. If the party were 20 points ahead in the polls and we were united behind a Republican nominee who was clearly conservative, the strategy might continue to make sense. Everybody knows that that's not the case, and when we come to the primaries in June, and it's clear that at best we're going to have a messy contested convention, I think there will be number of Republican senators who will take second look at this and say, you know, it's a high-quality person, we should give him a hearing and confirm him.

Previously:

Prominent Conservative Lawyers Support Obama's SCOTUS Nominee

Conservatives Have Been Praising Merrick Garland For Years

George Will Dismisses GOP Obstruction Of Merrick Garland As “A Partisan Reflex In Search Of A Justifying Principle”

Media Highlight Judge Merrick Garland's Credentials And His History Of GOP Support