With John Roberts appearing headed for swift confirmation, talk is already beginning on President Bush's next nomination. But as Roger Runningen reports for Bloomberg news, at least one powerful Senator wants a little time to breath between nominations.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said he urged President George W. Bush today to delay nominating a replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said he talked to Justice O'Connor about staying on the high court. "She's prepared to do that" through the court's term ending in June, Specter said. The president "was noncommittal," Specter said. "The body language was not very positive," Specter said.

Specter said the delay would give Congress and the rest of America more time to know John Roberts as chief justice. "When we know a little more about Judge Roberts it's going to be easier with the next" nomination, Specter said.

Specter, who is pro-choice -- but also a pragmatist -- plans on voting aye on the Roberts nomination, at least in part (one would imagine) because Roberts similarities to Rehnquist mean that the Supreme Court won't radically change in the near term. With the retirement of O'Connor remaining on the table, however, the prospect of a major shift in the Court away from the right to choose and the right of privacy is still very imminent.

Is this a politically astute move by Specter? Very possible. But whether a short delay in the nomination of O'Connor's replacement would actually effect the direction of the Court is not so obvious.