I'm sure most of this is bluster -- conservatives don't seem to have much left beyond self-promotion -- but regardless, there is going to be a lot of money floating around on the right during the nomination fight, and it's going to be spent on stupid ads like these, from the Judicial Confirmation Network.

That name seems a bit dated now, by the way. But it was already a misnomer back in October, when they were running Ayers and Wright ads.

The NYT reported Monday on the right's organizing. The cast of misanthropes and zealots sees the fight as a chance to restore their former glory:

While conservatives say they know they have little chance of defeating Mr. Obama’s choice because Democrats control the Senate, they say they hope to mount a fight that could help refill depleted coffers and galvanize a movement demoralized by Republican electoral defeats.

“It’s an immense opportunity to build the conservative movement and identify the troops out there,” said Richard A. Viguerie, a conservative fund-raiser. “It’s a massive teaching moment for America. We’ve got the packages written. We’re waiting right now to put a name in.”

Though, as with the tea parties, the real target of their ire will be the moderate GOP remnant:

Still, some conservatives worry about how the confirmation process will play out. Gary Bauer, a social conservative advocate, said the battle could backfire if Republicans did not fight hard enough.

“The risk for the Republican Party is they will be tempted to be more gentlemanly than Democrats are when a conservative is nominated,” Mr. Bauer said. “By doing that, they will not only lose an educational moment with the public, but they will risk driving the base of the Republican Party to once again be frustrated.”

Bauer is working side-by-side with a man who hacked Senate Democratic servers and stole internal strategy documents.