“The Christian Coalition has definitely decreased in influence. But Robertson, as an individual, continues to inspire a lot of loyalty among far-right activists. There's no question that Robertson has significant influence.”
“Choosing somebody who is not a judge would put that much more of a premium on straight answers to questions because there would be that much less for senators and the public to go on when looking at such a nominee's judicial philosophy,”
“ 'Is there a right to privacy under the Constitution? If so, what does it cover?' These are the broad questions senators must ask, ... You cannot ask a question that encompasses all possible disputes, but you can get a pretty good view of a nominee's philosophy. The American people have made clear they want to know what the nominees think of the basic principle of Roe v. Wade, and they've made it clear they expect nominees to answer questions.”
“You never want a situation where someone has a veto power, ... But having parents at the front end, serving on an advisory committee ... can be extremely useful and actually insulate districts against attacks on books because parents have been involved.”
“Choosing somebody who is not a judge would put that much more of a premium on straight answers to questions because there would be that much less for senators and the public to go on when looking at such a nominee's judicial philosophy.”
“It is hard to think, as I sit here, of examples of decisions that appear to be Gonzales making decisions on his own, as opposed to his status of defender of the administration and the White House. His role doesn't seem that much different than his role serving as White House counsel, only now he has a much larger staff.”
“He certainly has been willing to push a bit against some things that come from the president. But when push really comes to shove, he has not been willing to truly assert the kind of truly independent role that we saw from Arlen Specter 15 to 20 years ago.”
