Congratulations to Judge John Roberts has been confirmed as the 17th Chief Justice of the United States!
A wag on National Review’s The Corner whiled away the time before the vote by offering this perspective:
“Q. Two months ago what would Senate Democrats have called a Supreme Court candidate who had argued that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and who had close personal ties to a pro-life activist, who favored school prayer, who strongly opposed racial and gender preferences, who criticized ‘fundamental rights’ and ‘suspect class’ analyses as engines of judicial activism, and who described judicial activism as the greatest threat to judicial independence?
“A. ‘Extremist and unconfirmable.’
“Q. From now on what will Senate Democrats call such a candidate?
“A. ‘Chief Justice Roberts.'”
Most interesting was the roll call of no votes (all Democrats):
Akaka, Hawaii; Bayh, Ind.; Biden, Del.; Boxer, Calif.; Cantwell, Wash.; Clinton, N.Y.; Corzine, N.J.; Dayton, Minn.; Durbin, Ill.; Feinstein, Calif.; Harkin, Iowa; Inouye, Hawaii; Kennedy, Mass.; Kerry, Mass.; Lautenberg, N.J.; Mikulski, Md.; Obama, Ill.; Reed, R.I.; Reid, Nev.; Sarbanes, Md.; Schumer, N.Y.; Stabenow, Mich.
Do you get the feeling that ambitious no voters Hillary, Biden, Bayh & Obama figured this would be a relatively safe time to toss a bone to their party’s lefty fringe?