...And So It Begins. Dems Positioning Themselves On Roberts

U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Reid Opposes Roberts
Robert Schmidt in Washington
Sept. 20 (Bloomberg)

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he will oppose John Roberts to be U.S. chief justice, citing the nominee's opposition to civil rights legislation when he was a young lawyer for President Ronald Reagan.

Reid announced his decision as other Democrats said they still haven't made up their minds on President George W. Bush's first Supreme Court nomination. Reid told reporters he won't make the Roberts vote an issue of party loyalty and expects "plenty" of Democrats to support the nominee.

Some undecided Democrats, particularly those representing states Bush carried in winning re-election last year, said they are studying Roberts's testimony at confirmation hearings last week. Several complained that Roberts had avoided answering questions on important issues such as abortion rights.

"This is really a leap of faith, isn't it?" said Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy, who joined Reid in opposing Roberts. "There are those that took the leap in terms of the war. There are those who took the leap in terms of taxes, and now they are being invited to take the leap again in terms of Judge Roberts, and I don't think I am going to be among them."

Kennedy told reporters that Roberts was "on the wrong side of history" for opposing civil rights legislation as a young lawyer for the Justice Department and later Reagan's White House counsel's office.

You just knew that Reid had to go this way because he is the Dumocrat Minority Leader and this is one of their base issues with the special interest groups who pull their strings. This is all about Democrat Party's public image and nothing about Roberts qualifications.

Full Story: Reid on Roberts

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