ROBERTS INFLUENCES BUSH IMAGE FOR FUTURE
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
It's not only what the public eventually will think of Judge John Roberts;
it's what Roberts' position will mean to US President George W. Bush.
If Mr. Bush has been wise in choosing a person who will endorse the
expectations of the morally based Red States, fine for Mr. Bush's future.
If not, then Mr. Bush is in trouble with his own kind.
There is much being said this week about Roberts' enigma persona. After
all, at age 50, who is the handsome fellow and what does he really
represent by way of moral positions?
We have learned that his wife is definitely pro-life. Does that mean that
her husband is the same? Not necessarily. Spouses in public life have
often differed, particularly on significant issues. Therefore, no
guarantee there.
We now know that the Roberts family is "practicing Catholic." But what
does that mean today? John F. Kerry regarded himself as "practicing,"
though he attended an extremely spiritually rebellious church in Boston
near his home there. He and the congregation endorsed killing womb babies
while putting the sacramental elements in their mouths. So what
is "practicing" in present-tense "Catholic"?
We have learned that Roberts has made statements for pro-life and for pro-
choice. There are all sorts of interpretations being tossed about since
investigators have done their homework on the statements. In the end, the
final conclusion is that we really don't know for certain what
interpretations to put in cement.
There are those in the pro-life camp who are ecstatic about Roberts. There
are those in the pro-choice camp who are exceptionally fearful about
Roberts. Those who swing far to the either end of the spectrum may be in
for their own surprises of misjudgment.
There were those who banked on Sandra Day O'Connor and David Souter being
in the conservative pocket. Those two proved just the opposite. Could that
happen with Roberts? Yes it could, taking into account reality and the
complexities of life and personality.
Only time will tell what's going on with Roberts. Committee sessions and
further inquiries - the in-depth kind - will give inklings as well.
On the other hand, it just be might that Roberts himself is not absolutely
sure as to who he is in any particular decision-making situation. Most of
us have open-ended vistas as to who we are, except for those of us who
have grounded ourselves for life in a particular moral stance. Now that's
the question regarding Roberts. Is he a part of the latter, particularly
when it comes to abortion?
In the meantime, there are now questions from some Republicans regarding
Mr. Bush and his thinking, his reasons for deciding on Roberts and how all
this process is going to tell on the President's motives. Obviously, the
President is in a most complicated situation in positing nominees for the
Supreme Court. Nevertheless, that's part of the job.
However, taking into account the twists and turns, the Red States have
been waiting too long for anything but one of their own on the highest
court in the land. They don't want to be fooled by another O'Connor or
Souter. They don't want to have to wait out another justice's near-death
or actual-death in order to get their own on the bench.
Consequently, in this tug of war, there is not only much riding on
Roberts; but there are many implications and reverberations awaiting Mr.
Bush. The outcome will reveal much for the nation's good or ill. Likewise,
the outcome will reveal much about the genuineness of both men.
It's not only what the public eventually will think of Judge John Roberts;
it's what Roberts' position will mean to US President George W. Bush.
If Mr. Bush has been wise in choosing a person who will endorse the
expectations of the morally based Red States, fine for Mr. Bush's future.
If not, then Mr. Bush is in trouble with his own kind.
There is much being said this week about Roberts' enigma persona. After
all, at age 50, who is the handsome fellow and what does he really
represent by way of moral positions?
We have learned that his wife is definitely pro-life. Does that mean that
her husband is the same? Not necessarily. Spouses in public life have
often differed, particularly on significant issues. Therefore, no
guarantee there.
We now know that the Roberts family is "practicing Catholic." But what
does that mean today? John F. Kerry regarded himself as "practicing,"
though he attended an extremely spiritually rebellious church in Boston
near his home there. He and the congregation endorsed killing womb babies
while putting the sacramental elements in their mouths. So what
is "practicing" in present-tense "Catholic"?
We have learned that Roberts has made statements for pro-life and for pro-
choice. There are all sorts of interpretations being tossed about since
investigators have done their homework on the statements. In the end, the
final conclusion is that we really don't know for certain what
interpretations to put in cement.
There are those in the pro-life camp who are ecstatic about Roberts. There
are those in the pro-choice camp who are exceptionally fearful about
Roberts. Those who swing far to the either end of the spectrum may be in
for their own surprises of misjudgment.
There were those who banked on Sandra Day O'Connor and David Souter being
in the conservative pocket. Those two proved just the opposite. Could that
happen with Roberts? Yes it could, taking into account reality and the
complexities of life and personality.
Only time will tell what's going on with Roberts. Committee sessions and
further inquiries - the in-depth kind - will give inklings as well.
On the other hand, it just be might that Roberts himself is not absolutely
sure as to who he is in any particular decision-making situation. Most of
us have open-ended vistas as to who we are, except for those of us who
have grounded ourselves for life in a particular moral stance. Now that's
the question regarding Roberts. Is he a part of the latter, particularly
when it comes to abortion?
In the meantime, there are now questions from some Republicans regarding
Mr. Bush and his thinking, his reasons for deciding on Roberts and how all
this process is going to tell on the President's motives. Obviously, the
President is in a most complicated situation in positing nominees for the
Supreme Court. Nevertheless, that's part of the job.
However, taking into account the twists and turns, the Red States have
been waiting too long for anything but one of their own on the highest
court in the land. They don't want to be fooled by another O'Connor or
Souter. They don't want to have to wait out another justice's near-death
or actual-death in order to get their own on the bench.
Consequently, in this tug of war, there is not only much riding on
Roberts; but there are many implications and reverberations awaiting Mr.
Bush. The outcome will reveal much for the nation's good or ill. Likewise,
the outcome will reveal much about the genuineness of both men.
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