And in other shocking news that will alter the political landscape, Senator Ted Kennedy ate a dozen donuts and chased them with a fifth of Scotch.Monday, I shared with you my Brown University speech setting out what needs to be said and done at this critical moment for our country. Today, in that same spirit of clarity and conviction, I want to tell you how I will vote on the nomination of John Roberts to serve as Chief Justice of the United States.
I will vote against this vitally important nomination.
Win or lose on this vote, it is essential that we act on our deepest convictions. And I refuse to vote for a Supreme Court nominee who came before the Senate intent on demonstrating his ability to deftly deflect legitimate questions about his views, opinions and philosophy.John Roberts owed the American people far more than that.
If he is confirmed - and he may well be - the Roberts Court will shape the course of constitutional law for decades to come. It will decide dozens of cases that will define the depth and breadth of freedom in America - our commitment to civil rights, our dedication to civil liberties, our devotion to privacy and a woman's right to choose.
With that much at stake, Judge Roberts needed to show us where his heart is.
Instead he recited case law and said little about what he really thought. He needed to engage the Senate Judiciary Committee and the American people in a genuine conversation. He failed that test. And, while I recognize that other members of the Senate will legitimately make a different choice, I will vote "NO" on the Roberts nomination.
UPDATE: James Taranto asks:
Wouldn't it be nice if the Senate held a cloture vote on the nomination first? That way, the haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat, who by the way served in Vietnam could vote for Roberts before voting against him!
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