During an NPR report on today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for judicial nominee Goodwin Liu, conservative Committee for Justice executive director Curt Levey said that "[Y]ou can think of Goodwin Liu as the Democratic Clarence Thomas." Since conservatives -- including the Committee for Justice -- have regularly praised Justice Thomas as a model jurist, it is difficult to think of higher praise than being named “the Democratic Clarence Thomas” by a conservative.

Here's what Levey said during a report by NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg: “Goodwin Liu is not your typical liberal. He's very far out on the left wing even of academia. So, I think that you can think of Goodwin Liu as the Democratic Clarence Thomas.”

One must ask: Are Levey's remarks meant to be yet another example of conservative praise for Liu or admission that Thomas is “very far out on the” right wing?

After all, conservatives, including Levey, have heaped praise on for Thomas, his qualifications, and his standard for constitutional interpretation:

Former President Bush agreed that “Thomas was the most qualified man in the country for the Supreme Court.” From an interview that originally aired on the November 21, 1999, edition of NBC's Meet the Press:

TIM RUSSERT (host): Which Supreme Court justice do you really respect?

BUSH: Well, that's--Antonin Scalia is one. He's an intellect. The reason I like him so much is I got to know him here in Austin when he came down. He's witty. He's interesting. He's firm. There's a lot of reasons why I like Judge Scalia. And I like a lot of the other judges as well. I mean, it's kind of a harsh question to ask because it now pits me--some of whom are friends of mine. I mean, it's--and so in all due respect, Judge Thomas and...

RUSSERT: Do you believe Clarence Thomas was the most qualified man in the country for the Supreme Court?

BUSH: I do, and I think he's proven my dad correct.

Committee for Justice says supporters of “strict construction” hope “Thomas will be able to keep an activist judiciary at bay.” An August 2009 Committee for Justice pamphlet on judicial activism states:

Supporters of a strict constructionist view of the Constitution, including the thousands of Americans who march on the Supreme Court every year to protest Roe v. Wade are hoping that conservative justices such as Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas will be able to keep an activist judiciary at bay.

Levey: “No wonder GOP voters” want candidates to pledge to pick justices “in the mold of Scalia and Clarence Thomas.” In the pamphlet, Levey writes:

Similarly, a 2005 survey by the American Bar Association revealed that Americans, by an almost two-to-one margin, agree that judicial activism “seems to have reached a crisis. Judges routinely overrule the will of the people, invent new rights and ignore traditional morality.” No wonder GOP voters rank the appointment of Supreme Court justices as a more important presidential election issue than the war in Iraq and want their presidential nominees to promise to pick Supreme Court justices in the mold of Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

GOP Sen. Hatch: “Clarence Thomas has more than shown that he's got the guts to stand up and do what's right.” During a November 1999 presidential primary debate, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee said (via Nexis):

HATCH: I have to say that I agree with Alan [Keyes], Clarence Thomas has more than shown that he's got the guts to stand up and do what's right. Justice Rehnquist, let me tell you, Brennan and Marshall said he was the brightest, most intellectual judge on -- justice on the court. He's a great guy. And Scalia, I agree with John [McCain] too, Antonin Scalia is really the conservative's conservative on the court, although I haven't agreed with all of his opinions either.

Former ambassador Alan Keyes: Clarence Thomas has “a proper understanding ... of the basis in principle of the Constitution.” During the same debate, Keyes stated:

KEYES: Well, I think to me the example of role model is very easy. My role model would be Clarence Thomas. I think he represents an adherence to a proper understanding, both of the basis in principle of the Constitution, respect for the transcendent law that we have to respect in our exercise of our rights.

Former GOP presidential candidate Steve Forbes: Thomas tries “to interpret the Constitution ... not make it up as [he] goes along. From the same debate:

FORBES: The two names have been mentioned tonight, Scalia and Thomas. I think those are the kind of individuals of integrity who try to interpret the Constitution, what's in the Constitution, and not make it up as they go along.

For more information about Liu's nomination, you can check out Media Matters myths and falsehoods debunking conservative misinformation about his record.