Houston's Clear Thinkers re: the Supreme Chief

There is fascinating and stimulating blog called, "Houston's Clear Thinkers". It recently posted some reflections on the NYTimes article about who might succeed Chief Justice William Rehnquist on the U.S. Supreme Court. The leading candidates are

1) Michael W. McConnell of the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit,
2) John G. Roberts of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia,
3) J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and
4) J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and
5) Samuel A. Alito of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, who is mentioned as "another possible candidate."

The person who wrote this piece says,

This is a high caliber list of intellectual heavyweights who, I believe with the exception of Judge Alito, are all former Supreme Court clerks. My personal favorite for the appointment is Judge Roberts, who I have found to be an absolutely superb thinker and writer in the opinions that he has penned while on the D.C. Court of Appeals.

As I have posted before, I would think that Richard Posner would be an excellent, though improbable, choice. And why not Alex Kozinski of the 9th Circuit?