President Bush's nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court is full of political significance. Last week was his worst in his five years in office, as one misfortune piled of another.
These included the withdrawal of Harriet Miers, his first nominee to this position, and the various intensifying troubles revolving around the war in Iraq. By proposing Alito, Mr Bush re-establishes trust with his disillusioned conservative base and can relaunch the second term of his presidency over the next three months.
The US Supreme Court is a pivotal institution which affects the development of its society in profound ways. Mr Bush said Mr Alito had "a deep understanding of the proper roles of judges in our society. He understands that judges are to interpret the law, not to impose their preferences or priorities on the people".
Conservatives make a great deal of this limited role, compared to the judicial activism of liberal judges. Yesterday they quickly recognised Mr Alito's formidable legal record, which includes support for spousal approval of abortions, opposition to restrictive gun laws and backing for church schools.
Conservative positions on such issues are just as radical as liberal ones. It is no secret that Republicans hope to see a different and rebalanced Supreme Court reverse several major rulings, most notably the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade one approving abortion. Mr Alito could become the hinge voter in a court which has been closely divided. This will ensure that he gets a rigorous and probing hearing in the Senate; but the first indications yesterday were of Republicans happy to support him and of Democrats thinking twice about a filibuster.
President Bush badly needs such reassurance. His nomination of Harriet Miers was designed to avoid an all-out battle in Congress by calling on a personal colleague who would, he believed, be taken on trust by his conservative base. It was a bad miscalculation and one which provoked an unprecedented revolt.
This nomination has a surer touch. But if it is to work on a wider political plane it must be accompanied by a relaunch of his administration and its programme. It is unclear whether Mr Bush has the stomach to change policy on the scale required or the determination to clear out the dead wood accumulated over five years in power - much less the humility to realise that otherwise he will be facing into one of the longest lame-duck periods on record.