The Left on Roberts

You know, when you have people on both the left and the right attacking Roberts, you have to wonder if this guy isn't half bad. In an earlier post today, I talked about how some on the Right are attacking Roberts for his work on a gay rights case. Now, Charging RINO talks about how NARAL Pro-Choice America is unfairly attacking Roberts. NARAL will launch an ad in Maine and Rhode Island that paints Roberts as an extremist that supports violent opponents of abortion. (You can view the ad here.)

I think Jeremy is right on the mark here. It is wrong to make such leaps in logic and as a person considers himself pro-choice, I am ashamed of this group. Jeremy has some great quotes on this issue including this:

It is not often that I agree with the the chairman of the RNC, but Ken Mehlman has it right on this: "By attempting to assert that Judge Roberts supports shameful criminal acts, NARAL has shown how far they will go to slander a good man for political gain." This ad crosses the line between decent debate over Roberts' stance on the issues and unfair attack, by implying that Roberts somehow supports or condones violent attacks against abortion clinics. There is absolutely nothing in the record to justify such a conclusion; in fact, the opposite may be closer to the truth.

According to Roberts allies, the nominee supported the conclusion of the Reagan White House back in 1986 that violent protesters should not be eligible for special consideration to receive presidential pardons: "No matter how lofty or sincerely held the goal, those who resort to violence to achieve it are criminals," the Reagan Justice Department held in a memo which Roberts endorsed.

NARAL's president said of the ad "We're not suggesting that Mr. Roberts condones clinic violence." Okaaay, what exactly does "America can't afford a justice whose ideology leads him to excuse violence against other Americans" mean, then? That is exactly what they're suggesting, in a blatant attempt to inflame passions and derail the civil-to-this-point confirmation process.

Jeremy suggests that Senators should ignore this ad and I strongly agree. NARAL is doing nothing more than distorting the truth and is another example of the no-holds-barred political culture we now live in. It should be roundly condemned.