Roberts, Etc.: Kristol Likes, Barnes Is So-So, Coulter Sees A Souter

Kristol: Bush Rises To The Occasion.

Barnes: The Safe Pick.

Coulter: Souter in Roberts' Clothing.

Coulter is angry because Roberts is something of a "stealth candidate" -- a judge with little by way of a record on hot-button issues, which makes him both more easily confirmable but also gives little reassurances to those who want a demonstrably, provable conservative nominee.

Fair point.

She snarks that Democrats won't be happy with a Republican nominee unless he peforms a live abortion during his Senate heartings, "preferably of the partial birth variety."

But, on the other hand, there are those conservatives who seem hostile to Roberts unless there's photographic evidence of him picketing an abortion clinic.

It seems to me that Roberts is much more conservative than the daffy Sandra Day O'Connor, which pushes the Court a bit more to the right. A hard-charging, "out and proud" conservative jurist? Apparently not. But Democrats and the media -- and, quite frankly, the public -- haven't shown much enthusiasm for a big dramatic replacement of O'Connor with a Scalia-esque figure. They seem to want greater continuity.

Roberts nudges the Court to the right, which may be the best plausible outcome.

Crazy Speculation: John Podhoertz wonders if this isn't some brokered deal with Rehnquist.

posted by Ace at 01:20 PM

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