Have a heart

I have recently become an avid reader of PowerLine Blog. Paul and John are funny, articulate, and--most of all--intellectually honest and clear-thinking. They have some of the best political analysis on the web today. I could easily find something of theirs to quote every single day, but for now I'll just choose one choice morsel. In a post on the Roberts confirmation hearings, they quote the San Fransisco Chronicle. Here's part of that quote, and PowerLine's analysis (in orange):

as the hearings continued today, the committee Democrats seemed to be searching for a way to explain to their constituents a vote against the nominee.

Here's what they came up with -- Roberts lacks a heart. The Dems couldn't explain how they know this. It's difficult to exhibit heart while conducting a seminar on the law. Can we say that Hank Aaron lacks a heart because he didn't display one while he was hitting all those home runs?

In fact, however, Roberts' pro bono work for a variety of needy or unpopular clients provides evidence of his heart; better evidence, in fact, than the pious posturing of Senate Dems does of theirs. Yet the Democrats, bent on flailing away into incoherence, tried to turn Roberts' pro bono work against him. The shameless Senator Durbin took the lead:

To Roberts’ statements that he can argue both sides of a case — in response to question about his pro bono work on Romer v. Evans, a gay rights case where he helped the gay plaintiffs — Democrats asked if that means he has no values. “If this is just a process, a legal contest, and you’ll play for any team that asks you to play, it raises a question about where would you draw the line if you would ever draw the line,” said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

So if a conservative always takes the conservative side, he's a heartless ideologue. If he's willing, in the "public interest" to sometimes take the other side without pay, he has no values.

But Roberts repeatedly identified his core value -- respect for the rule of law. And herein lies the problem: to Democrats, respect for the rule of law doesn't count as a value. To them, the law is simply a pretext for achieving desired results or (if not suited for that work) an obstacle to be circumvented for the same purpose. No wonder John Roberts gives them the willies.