The Obligatory Roberts Post

I haven't posted on Bush's nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court because I didn't have anything overwhelmingly original to say about it.

Fester at the Unpaid Punditry Corps (a new must-read site which includes posts by both liberals and conservatives) did a good job gave voicing pragmatic liberal position regarding the nomination. I posted a comment there, which I will include here (with a couple minor edits), with my initial thoughts:

[Roberts'] confirmation is sewn-up mostly because Roberts has wisely established so many “friends” in the media. On NPR, Nina Tottenberg, Jeffrey Rosen of the New Republic and some right-winger discussed Roberts and it was clear all these people had friendly personal relationships with the guy. He’s in the club and, regardless of his beliefs and how they will effect the public for decades, that means, in Washington, he gets a pass.

But mark my words, this guy will be a lot closer to Scalia than Souter. He is getting in under the same wingnut bar Scalia snuck under two decades ago. It was Lino Graglia and the nomination of Rehnquist to CJ for Scalia and it is the likes of Luttig, Owen and Rogers Brown for Roberts.

BTW - You gotta love the sideshot video [UPDATE: CBS has apparently deep-sixed the video link. I'll try & find a new one] with Roberts' son doing what little boys do. The pained expression on Mrs. Roberts' face when Bush unobservantly fails to adjust his planned remarks for the early exit of Roberts' kids is priceless. Years from now we can all bow our heads in shame when we fully realize we failed to read the warning signals being given us from Roberts' own son.