http://www.qando.net/ - Roberts confirmation: Dems Holding Back?

The confirmation hearings are now only partly about Roberts and what he thinks about the law. Instead, they have become a prelude to the coming battle over President Bush's as-yet-unnamed successor to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and a forum with broader political implications for a debate about deep philosophical differences between Republicans and Democrats over the role of government and the courts in American society.

Roberts, per Balz is a "gimme" to use a golfing term. He's in. There's just not enough there to fight with.

But Balz thinks what the Dems are using this hearing for is to position themselves for the next nominee and to lay the groundwork for the fireworks (and, dare we say it, filibuster) to come when that person is finally announced.

So when you see and hear the questions asked Roberts during the confirmation hearings, understand, per Balz, that they're really not for Roberts per se. It is their dress rehersal, their polishing up of the rhetoric, of that which is going to greet the next nominee to the court ... unless, of course, Bush can find another Roberts.

Those issues and others will dominate the Democrats' questioning of Roberts over the next two days, and after a quiet opening day, that is likely to increase the tension inside the Senate hearing room. That will not jeopardize Roberts's likely confirmation; whether it achieves the Democrat's political objectives is much more an open question.

We'll see, won't we?

TrackBacks

Return to Main Blog Page

Comments For This Post

Previous Comments to this Post

Comments

I keep saying he should nominate Rogers-Brown and dare them to try and Bork her.

Written By: Eric
URL: http://grumbles.mu.nu/

I’m with Eric. May as well go for the brass ring.

Written By: Matt McIntosh
URL: http://conjecturesandrefutations.net

Add Your Comment

	NOTICE: While we don't wish to censor your thoughts, we do blacklist certain terms of profanity or obscenity. This is not to muzzle you, but to ensure that the blog remains work-safe for our readers. If you wish to use profanity, simply insert asterisks (*) where the vowels usually go. Your meaning will still be clear, but our readers will be able to view the blog without worrying that content monitoring will get them in trouble when reading it.
	Comments for this entry are closed.
Name:
Email:
URL:
HTML Tools:
Comment:
	Remember Me

Vicious Capitalism

Buy Dale's Book!