web posted Dustin Hawkins
By July 25, 2005
Well, at least he didn't nominate Alberto Gonzalez. And just when the media was expecting either an Hispanic or a woman, all they got was another white guy that no-one really knows anything about. And as it would be, John Roberts became Bush's first Supreme Court nominee. His "conservative" credentials come from being a lawyer for the United States Government, whereby he fought for the issues as requested by his employer, the United States Government.
The biggest opposition mounted so far is because Roberts once argued, for a client, that Roe vs. Wade is bad law and should be overturned. In his most recent confirmation hearings, Roberts argued the obvious point that his arguments as a lawyer for his client were to defend the positions of, well, his client. He also called abortion "settled law." That's comforting. We can only hope that he doesn't see things that way as a Supreme Court Justice.
 Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee D.C. Circuit Judge John G. Roberts (R) shakes hands with U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) on Capitol Hill on July 21 |
The truth is, if John Roberts were the "it" candidate, I would have heard something bad about him by now, at least from a source other than Planned Parenthood. There's a certain uneasiness I get when the worst liberals can say about a "conservative" is about what a nice young chap he seems to be. Where is the rage? Shouldn't Jesse Jackson be accusing him of burning down black churches by now?
As a general rule, the perfect Supreme Court nominee would be able to do the following: 1) leave Ted Kennedy in an impotent, drunken rage during confirmation hearings; 2) have MoveOn.org waging a massive, multi-million dollar "he is Hitler" campaign; 3) have some random nutcase woman accusing him of a crazed, drug-induced sex scandal; and 4) be confirmed without the support of Democrats, and possibly Arlen Specter. That's when you know a conservative has been nominated.
Instead, Bush nominates a poodle. He's cute and fuzzy on the outside, enough so that even dog-haters like him. His boss gently tells everyone that he really has a big bite. But no one really knows. At best he could bite like Scalia, at worst he could bite like Souter. And knowing Republicans luck with choosing justices, he will probably bite like O'Connor.
It should say something when the current Supreme Court is made up of mostly Republican-appointed justices yet only three conservatives sit on the bench. Why shouldn't Bush nominate a well-known fire-breathing conservative? If anything, in order for balance to returned to the court a strong conservative is what is needed. Currently there are 4 liberals, 3 conservatives, and one Sandra Day O'Connor (Justice Kennedy). We already have one swing vote - and thanks again for that Kelo decision, champ! - we don't need another one.
And despite the Republican-heavy selections, liberals own the court. Liberal Justices are people who, on one hand, read the Second Amendment and can't find a right to bear arms yet, on the other hand, can find an indisputable constitutional right to partial birth abortion through a crazy series of nonexistent Constitutional findings. These aren't people we want teaching Reading Comprehension in Elementary Schools, much less interpreting the Constitution.
If John Roberts walks out of this confirmation with more than 60 votes, red flags need to go up. So he had a touching life story. So what. Bill Clinton's stepfather beat him. It doesn't mean he should have become President over it.
Conservatives seem to lack that fire in wildly supporting him. Liberals seem to lack the fire in hysterically destroying him. Why? Because no one really knows what he will "evolve" into, a historical problem among Republican judicial picks. His service in the Reagan and Bush administrations would appear to be a good sign, as well as his heavily conservative circle of friends. And his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, was a leader in a pro-life group, Feminists for Life. There are some good signs, there are some bad signs. Bush thinks he will be a great justice. But then, Reagan thought the same of O'Connor. 
Dustin Hawkins is a columnist living in Nashville, Tennessee. he can be contacted through his webpage at www.dustinmhawkins.com or through e-mail at
dustinmhawkins@yahoo.com.
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