I never understand the fuss over Supreme Court nominations. The president holds all the power. That’s even more true if his party controls the Senate. So when conservative groups “concede that they have little chance of derailing Obama’s choice, barring a scandal,” what does it mean? If they derail Obama’s choice, he’ll just make another choice. It’s not like defeating his first nominee would make him lose a turn, or let Mitch McConnell choose the next candidate. Bush, for instance, got beat on Harriett Miers, and then nominated a more conservative justice in her stead. The hubbub is baffling. The opposition can’t win. They can only delay losing.

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.