Let me make clear - this guy is quite skilled, capable, and probably qualified.  But he is also wrong for the job, and wrong for the country.  If he is confirmed, we can look forward to at least 30 or 40 years of Borkism on the highest courts.

Keisler was profiled on LegalTimes.com (a warm, loving caress, really), where it noted he was a close friend and former clerk of Bork's, and a force in the Federalist Society.    Indeed, he's been on the Fed's board of directors.

Remember the row over whether Roberts or Alito had ever been members of the Federalist Society?  At Yale, Keisler roomed with its founders.

Remember Bork?  Bork remembers Keisler, his former clerk.  About him, Bork says "he's one of my favorites".  He should.  Keisler helped shepherd Bork's nomination.  He's a Bork "acolyte."

And he helped shepherd nominations of Doug Ginsburg and Anthony Kennedy, too.  Kennedy gave him a clerkship.

He helped investigate Iran-Contra, analyzing the legality of the arms sales.  Those files are still sealed.

He helped investigate Ed Meese regarding government contracting.

He wrote for Human Events.

He helped get John Cardinal O'Connor, Richard DeVos (head of Amway and 2006 Michigan gubernatorial candidate), and some guy who thought and preached you could get AIDS from toilet seats onto Reagan's Presidential Commission on AIDS.

And the hits keep coming.

He signed off on that decision reducing the amount tobacco companies had to pay, from $130 Billion, to about $10 Billion, in the government's racketeering case against them.

But, he is generous, too.  He contributed $2,000 to legal aid groups in the past five and a half years.

Even while he made millions as a partner at Sidley Austin.

Here's a copy of his resume, from the Committee for Justice Blog.  Highlights of his experience:

1985 - 1986 The Honorable Robert H. Bork, United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Law Clerk
1986 - 1988 Executive Office of the President, Office of the Counsel to the President, Assistant Counsel (1986 - 1987), Associate Counsel to the President (1987 - 1988)

1988 - 1989 The Honorable Anthony M. Kennedy, Supreme Court of the United States, Law Clerk

Here's a brief note on him from the WSJ law blog.

And, per this article posted as a comment to the National Association of Manufacturers' blog, on 7/28/05 under the heading Judicial Watch  (the article having been written by Ol' 60 grit Kate O'Beirne herself, pre 9/11/01):

According to a Baltimore Sun editorial, the federal bench is the most recent victim of the Federalist Society's influence. In reaction to the prospect that Peter Keisler, a prominent Washington lawyer and former clerk to Judge Robert Bork and Justice Anthony Kennedy, might be nominated to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Sun fingered him as a "stalwart" of that "increasingly influential organization of extremely conservative lawyers." Keisler, who has served on the Society's board of directors, would no doubt plead guilty to the editorial's charge that the organization hopes "to reshape . . . liberal, big government orthodoxy"

Keisler had been a very early - 2001 - Bushco nominee to the 4th Cir. for a Maryland seat, but his nomination was blocked by Maryland senators because while he might live in Md., he never practiced there.  That's the Balt. Sun editorial Kate refers to.  So, Bushie moved him over to DoJ.

But, he even has his own wiki page and, more importantly, his name on the wiki page "Bush Supreme Court candidates".

Here, from the conservative blog "Confirm Them" (which has a hot link to RedState, FWIW)  is a great article from October 2006, called "Keisler stuck".

Here's how one of their commenters views things (accurately, I think):

If Bush had not renominated Boyle, Myers, Haynes, Smith and Wallace when their names were sent back to the White House, we would be seeing a lot more COA confirmations now. By renominating The Fatal Five, Bush poisoned the well for everyone else. Smith would be confirmed now if Myers had been dumped. Keisler would be confirmed now if he hadn't been associated with The Fatal Five. If The Fatal Five hadn't been around to filibuster, the Democrats would have been a lot more reticent on filibustering Keisler. And what about Livingston, Murphy and Kethledge? They were denied hearings and confirmation votes because the SJC Republicans became so wound up in a tizzy about The Fatal Five they even began missing executive meetings.

Boyle, Myers, Haynes, Smith and Wallace are "The Fatal Five", and, obviously, Keisler's the stealth candidate.

When your friends call you "The Fatal Five"....

Later in the same comment thread, the same commenter noted, as a further reason to separate Keisler from The Fatal Five:

Just look at how an association with The Fatal Five ruined Keisler's chances for the moment.  Ideological principle is good until it begins to actively harm.

Guilt by association is constantly happening in the Senate. Keisler was greatly harmed by being pressed at the same time as The Fatal Five. The Fatal Five should've been dropped, and only the new nominees (Keisler, Livingston, Jordan, Murphy and Kethledge) should've been considered in September.

Here's wh