The Democrats can't sink Alito because he has the personal attributes America is looking for in a Supreme Court justice.
Dick Morris, author of "Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race," makes this point beautifully in his editorial today in The Hill:
"To the likes of Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) et al., the Supreme Court is a kind of super-Congress — nine special Senate seats — and the criterion for confirmation is agreement with the nominee on the key issues likely to come before the court. But to the American voters, the Supreme Court is above politics and ideology and confirmation should be awarded based on personal attributes such as integrity, intelligence, judgment, compassion, wisdom, maturity, fairness and temperament."