And why you shouldn't either...
This is really very simple.
We can not win.
Judge Roberts is a good looking, charming judge with no overtly outrageous remarks. Yes, he has signed on to an opinion that disparaged Roe. Yes, he is a conservative judge. A member of the Federalist society. But, in this day and age, he is the best we could have hoped for. The man is not John Ashcroft. He isn't Roy Moore. He isn't even a Roger's Brown.
John Roberts should not be opposed because the only way we could even conceivably win is to haul out the filibuster. We will not win that fight. And the American people will turn away from us because there is nothing we're going to find on Roberts that will repulse them. Yes, many will disagree with Roberts views here and there, but then many of Bush's voters disagree with him on issues. However, they still voted for him.
I am a firm believer in the theory that we shouldn't unholster our weapon (the filibuster) unless we're prepared to use it. In this case we can not win even if we threaten it. The nuclear option will pass and we'll be left with nothing should Renquist retire.
Another reason to let this one go is the tremendous harm we face if NARAL and the other lefty single issue groups go off on him. We're going to be percieved rightly as a bunch of whiners. The Republicans have the majority in both houses and the executive. We can rail against this all we want and gnash our teeth, but it won't matter one whit unless we start winning elections. Opposing Roberts will make that more difficult and we will not suceed in derailing him.
Better to derail Rove and ride that into the elections.
Update [2005-7-19 23:42:6 by manyoso]: Many here believe that not opposing Roberts is somehow betraying our duty to fight. No, this is not true. Roberts represents one fight that we can not win. And furthermore, waging the fight with an all out attack is going to hurt us. Badly. Look, Bush wants this fight. He wants Dems to rail against this good looking, mild mannered judge. He wants all of this to take the heat and conversation off of Rove. He knows he's going to win and he knows that the ensuing fight is going to make Dems look like a bunch of petulant children who still haven't accepted that he is still President after November and the Republicans retained control of the Senate and House. They did.
I'm not saying don't fight, I'm saying we should PICK OUR BATTLES CAREFULLY. That certainly means doing our due diligence on Roberts and questioning him fully and fairly. But, at the end of the day, unless there are some shocking revelations this man will be Associate Justice of the SC and there is nothing we can do about it. Filibuster or not. All we can do is try and play the hand we have. Not bitch and moan and demand a better hand.