Since the expected atomic clash over the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court has ended with a whimper rather than a bang, the only thing left to do is confirm him.

Both opponents and supporters of Judge Alito are probably correct in noting this may be a pivotal appointment to the court, so the subdued silence after his Senate Judicial Committee hearing may be puzzling. But perhaps his opponents simply have nothing more to say.

The attempts by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and others to smear Judge Alito failed. So there is precious little ammunition left in the arsenals of those who want his nomination defeated. Possibly the death knell came on Sunday when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., warned against a filibuster even though she will vote against Judge Alito.

Few men or women in the nation are as superbly qualified to hold a Supreme Court seat as Judge Alito. He clearly has wide-ranging expertise in the law and has the length and depth of knowledge needed in a Supreme Court nominee. He is a thoughtful conservative who pays close attention to legal precedents and doesn’t try to rewrite the Constitution to justify his own political whims.

A few Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee argued Judge Alito was out of the mainstream of American law, but their pitiful performance showed they were the ones on the left banks of the mainstream, not in the middle of the flow.

Judge Alito may — and should — shift the court somewhat to the right, and is precisely the type of nominee President Bush promised to the nation during his two presidential campaigns.

If confirmed, Judge Alito may be influencing the law and this nation for decades to come. His personality, background and intellect demonstrate that such influence will be for good, and not for ill.