Confirming John Roberts
So, the Democrats have blown it again:Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid announced his opposition to Chief Justice-nominee John Roberts on Tuesday, voicing doubts about Roberts' commitment to civil rights and accusing the Bush administration of stonewalling requests for documents that might shed light on his views. (CNN.com)
No, no, no. I understand that John Roberts isn't the kind of justice that the Democrats would have nominated, but simply because they disagree isn't any reason to vote against him, in my view. Mr Roberts didn't tell us as much as we might have liked in his nomination hearings, but I'm rather convinced that he's not an ideologue and will not seek to impose his personal views on the nation from the bench. He's a very talented and knowledgeable lawyer, and the Senate should confirm him without delay. Mr Reid should have endorsed Mr Roberts on those grounds - it would have been better for the Democratic Party and for the United States.
UPDATE: The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, has announced that he'll support the confirmation of John Roberts. Democrats John Kerry and Edward Kennedy have announced their opposition to the confirmation. It's their loss, I suppose.
