However, the critics of the nominees used ambiguous phrases such as judicial sensibility and judicial temperament, instead of focusing on judicial competence as indicated by performance. Thus, they focused on the appearance of impropriety, using code words rather than substantive arguments. Ed Meese, President Reagan's nominee for Attorney General in 1984, was the first target of this process. The ideological assaults accelerated in 1986 and 1987, particularly during the confirmation struggle for Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. The analysis concludes that philosophical neutrality did not exist for many senators and that greater understanding of both the responsibilities and the limitations of each branch of our government is needed if the value of democratic governance is to be preserved. Chapter reference notes