Senate confirms Alito for Supreme Court - The Changing Court - MSNBC.com

The vote was 58-42, with zero abstentions and all Senators present. The AP calls this the most partisan confirmation in the history of the Senate--in that Alito won with the smallest number of votes from the party in opposition to the President.

But that designation is misleading--because Mr. Justice Clarence Thomas achieved confirmation with fifty-one votes, a bare majority. So "most partisan" doesn't mean "closest."

Furthermore, Alito won without the cooperation of "Missing Link" Chafee of Rhode Island--something he might want to remember as he starts raising funds to beat back a primary challenge.