(9 Jan 2006)
1. US President George W. Bush walks out of Oval Office with Supreme Court Justice nominee Judge Sam Alito
2. Cutaway push in on Bush and Alito
3. Reporters and cameras
4. SOUNDBITE (English) US President George W. Bush
"Sam Alito is eminently qualified to be a member of the bench. I'm not the only person who feels that way - the American Bar Association looked at his record, looked at his opinions, looked at his temperament, and came to the same conclusion, that he is well qualified to be a Supreme Court judge."
5. Push in on Alito
6. SOUNDBITE (English) US President George W. Bush
"It's very important that members of the Senate conduct a dignified hearing. The Supreme Court is a dignified body; Sam is a dignified person. And my hope, of course, is that the Senate bring dignity to the process and give this man a fair hearing and an up or down vote on the Senate floor.
Sam, good luck to you. Thanks for your agreement to serve. I appreciate you. Thank you.
7. Bush and Alito walk away
STORYLINE
President George W. Bush on Monday sent Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito off to his confirmation hearings with praise, a good-luck handshake and a demand that senators "give this man a fair vote".
Alito, who would be the 110th justice in US history, was facing close questioning by the Judiciary Committee on abortion and other contentious issues.
But first, he got some last-minute encouragement from the president over breakfast at the White House.
Speaking to reporters afterward in the Rose Garden, the president called Alito "eminently qualified".
Alito, a conservative, 15-year member of the federal appeals court in Philadelphia, was chosen by Bush on October 31 to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the high court.
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