Analyzing how the battle for the Alito nomination will play out has thus far focused upon the respectively pronounced sides of the political spectrum, with much discussion as to how the more liberal and conservative members will be engaged throughout the process.
Overlooked to date though is the critical role that Republican moderates [...]

Knee jerk reaction coming up, but I think it’s significant to start talking about this right away.
As I go over Alito’s record, there’s one case in particular that really doesn’t sit well with me this morning. I’m sure most of you could guess what that is, but it’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
From SCOTUSblog:
A dissenting opinion [...]

I finally found this poll from last year and I think Meirs should take heed.
Fifty-nine percent said Bush should choose a supporter of Roe v. Wade, while 31 percent said they want a nominee who will try to overturn the decision, according to the poll. Support for Roe v. Wade was seen among both men [...]

I certainly don’t like the sound of this John Fund commentary
First, a little from James Dobson about his conversation with Rove.
Dr. Dobson says he spoke to Mr. Rove on Oct. 2, the day before President Bush announced the nomination. Mr. Rove assured Dr. Dobson that Ms. Miers was an evangelical Christian and a strict constructionist, [...]

This is an interesting tidbit I picked out of an AP article on Harriet Meirs.
It’s being reported that Focus on the Family founder James Dobson was assured by the White House that Meirs opposed abortions.
This has a couple of Senators concerned.
Specter and the committee’s top Democrat, Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, are considering having Focus on [...]

George Will is really gunning for the President over the new nominee in this editorial in the Washington Post.
It is not important that she be confirmed because there is no evidence that she is among the leading lights of American jurisprudence, or that she possesses talents commensurate with the Supreme Court’s tasks. The president’s “argument” [...]

Like Bill Bennett, I probably should just keep my mouth shut.
I confess, I’ve completely lost track of what “racist” means in contemporary American political discourse. I know what I think it means, but evidently I’m one of the people who are disqualified from knowing anything about it because I am a racist.
That is, I get [...]

So to address some major points:

Are blacks, on average, convicted of more crimes than any other race? Yes.
Did Bennett disagree with author Steven Levitt’s theory that higher abortion rates = lower crime rates? Yes.
Did Bennett agree that higher black abortion rates = lower crime rates? Yes.

I blogged about the Bennett’s Black Babies Theory story yesterday. [...]

Media Matters For America captured a conversation Bill Bennett, author of The Book of Virtues, had on his show Bill Bennett’s Morning in America. The program is said to reach an estimated 1.25 million listeners each week.
Are you ready?
Okay, here we go…
BENNETT: you know, one of the arguments in this book Freakonomics that they make [...]

SurveyUSA recently did a poll about reproductive rights. The results are surprising. Only 15 states are pro-life, while the others are pro-choice.
Here are the states who have a majority who favor the pro-life movement:
Utah
life: 61% choice: 33%
Louisiana
57% 36%
Arkansas
55% 40%
Idaho
55% 41%
Alabama
54% 36%
Mississippi
53% 39%
W. Virginia
53% 39%
Kentucky
51% 42%
Tennessee
51% 42%
Indiana
50% 47%
South Dakota
49% 47%
Missouri
48% 45%
Oklahoma
48% 47%
Nebraska
47% 49%
The one “neutral” state:
North Dakota
47% 47%
And now the pro-choice states:
Kansas
45% 50%
North Carolina
44% 47%
Pennsylvania
44% 51%
Georgia
43% 52%
South Carolina
43% 47%
Texas
43% 52%
Michigan
42% 55%
Montana
42% 53%
Ohio
42% 52%
Iowa
41% 56%
Arizona
39% 56%
Minnesota
39% 56%
New Mexico
39% 56%
Virginia
39% 54%
Wisconsin
39% 57%
Wyoming
39% 57%
Alaska
37% 58%
Florida
36% 58%
Hawaii
35% 57%
Colorado
34% 61%
Illinois
33% 58%
Maine
33% 63%
Oregon
33% 62%
Nevada
32% 64%
Rhode Island
32% 63%
Washington
32% 63%
Delaware
31% 63%
New Jersey
31% 63%
Maryland
29% 65%
New Hampshire
29% 67%
California
28% 65%
Massachusetts
28% 68%
New York
27% 66%
Connecticut
26% 68%
Vermont
25% 70%
Some of [...]

NARAL has pulled its anti-Roberts ad.
A leading U.S. abortion rights advocacy group pulled a controversial television advertisement on Thursday that accuses Supreme Court nominee John Roberts of supporting an abortion clinic bomber and excusing violence.
Reuters: U.S. abortion rights group pulls anti-Roberts ad
They plan to replace it with ads investigating his stance on Roe v. Wade.

Many I’m close to have been surprised that I’m so supportive of Roberts, but I believe his record shows, for the most part, a reasonable person who respect the letter of the law.
Now comes word that NARAL has launched an ad that ties Roberts with a abortion clinic bomber.
Oh yes, it’s all BS.
From Factcheck.org:
An abortion-rights [...]

I’m strongly for reproductive rights and family planning, but I literally can not believe I just watched “A Superhero For Choice!”, a new cartoon put out by the Planned Parenthood Golden Gate.
On to the high(low)lights:

the mini-movie shows a female superhero throwing a creepy-looking, mustachioed guy, who’s trying to “scare” kids with banal abstinence talk, into [...]

Our Attorney General just keeps getting himself in the news. This time it’s over comments he made regarding that particularly controversial SCOTUS decision.
From ABC News:
In an interview with The Associated Press, Gonzales said a justice does not have to follow a previous ruling “if you believe it’s wrong,” a comment suggesting Roberts would not be [...]

I HIGHLY doubt it. They didn’t spend the past 30 years building this majority just to have one case completely tear it apart.
The GOP has always taken strong stances, and if Roe is ever overturned they’ll have gay marriage or something else to make people choose sides. I guarantee it.
Jane Galt shares some sentiments [...]