It’s very easy to see why liberals hate–HATE–Judge Roberts: He seems to agree with the president on everything.
Susan Estrich put it well: “This guy is a conservative . . . Conservatives should be very happy.”
Next step:
–The Senate Republicans should squeeze the nuclear trigger now. No need to wait until the Dems filibuster–they will. By changing the rules now, we can concentrate on Judge Roberts when the time comes and move him swiftly to the bench.
–Laugh at the left reaction. It’s going to be hysterical. Literally. Instead of getting angry, let’s just enjoy the show. These people have lost everything, including their minds, their credibility, and their souls. They are about to lose the Supreme Court. Then they will have nothing left to live for. Pity them.
–Campaign for Roberts. As we learned with Bork, the Supreme Court is as much about popularity and politics as a major city Recorder of Deeds election. If the rights spends less that $100 million on this nomination, it will do itself a disservice.
–Raise money for the next nomination. I’m sure Renquist will pay close attention to the nomination process. If the right pulls it off deftly, he will be more willing to retire. I don’t want to dump the guy, but he deserves some rest. I hate to think he’s holding on just because he’s afraid of what will happen to the court.
What others are saying:
OTB:
From what I’ve read, Roberts appears to be a solid conservative and he’s young, good qualities in a nominee. Beyond that, I know little of Roberts beyond a bit I’ve seen in the news and have nothing of much substance to add to the discussion. That may change during the confirmation battle.
Michelle Malkin has a great round-up of reactions.
Captain Ed says it perfectly:
If John Roberts really is the nominee, this sends a signal to the Senate that Bush has no intention of backing down from the confirmation fight. Expect PFAW, AFJ, NARAL, and the Democratics to come out with all guns blazing. It may not take a Byrd Option to shut down a filibuster, but it will take a big effort to get cloture on the floor.
Pro-Life Blogs (which you should read every day) has several pieces, including a bio of Roberts and round-up of pro-life reactions and predictions.
I will have more on The Bower.