John Roberts

In an interview with Chuck Schumer for a story in tomorrow's Observer, the senator said he still stands by the present nominee for the Attorney General position, Michael Mukasey, because he believes Mukasey will be politically independent from the Bush administration.

Since Schumer introduced Mukasey, a fellow New Yorker, at the confirmation hearings, the nominee has stumbled in his responses about torture and the legal extent of presidential power. Presidential candidates Chris Dodd and Barack Obama have since said that they will vote against Mukasey in the Senate, potentially putting pressure on other candidates to follow suit.

But Schumer isn't budging yet.

"I'm going to give him the chance to put in detail what he means," said Schumer, referring to Mukasey's somewhat convoluted answer about torture.

More after the jump.  read more »

Beneath a photo of Judge Samuel Alito in Princeton University’s 1972 yearbook, one line prophesied  read more »

Beneath a photo of Judge Samuel Alito in Princeton University’s 1972 yearbook, one line prophe  read more »

Obviously, the best way to be confirmed for a seat on the Supreme Court is to be like Chief Justice  read more »

Some Orthodox Jewish bloggers are buzzing over an article in the Five Towns Jewish Times, (no link available), which recounts a meeting between Hillary and a group of constituents at Long Island's Temple Beth Sholom: Lester Henner, a Lawrence resident and former president of Congregation Beth Sholom, asked Clinton why she voted against the appointment of John Roberts to the Supreme Court of the U.S. Clinton responded that while Roberts is a very intelligent man, she was nevertheless uncomfortable with the "privileged life" that he has led, citing the fact that he had been in private schools his entire life, going from private school to Harvard and then on to his professional life. She said that she thought that Roberts lacked a certain sensitivity because he "never had to live with hard knocks."

Jeff Ballabon, one of the bloggers on Judge and Jewry, also reports that the paper's source isn't the only one to have left the meeting with this version of events.  read more »

"Well, at least we know Hillary's going to be a Yes vote on Miers," he concludes.

More grumbling, and debate in the comments section, over at Orthomom.

Has this been a terrible month for George W. Bush?  read more »

Has this been a terrible month for George W. Bush?  read more »

How are we supposed to read Mike's second attack on George Bush in a week other than as something like a stretch for the panic button?

Today, with construction workers beside him, the Mayor called on the President to reinstate prevailing wage rules for federal contractors on the Gulf Coast. Last week, he took a shot at John Roberts.

What this seems to mean is that his alliance with the President-- a minor local political irritant at most times -- has suddenly turned into a major liability. Bush's numbers are as bad as they've ever been, and he's most toxic among the African-American voters Mike will have to count on in November. And after three years of loyalty to the President, it's hard to see how a handful of statements will convince people the Mayor and the President have nothing to do with each other.

(There's a Quinnipiac poll out tomorrow, and perhaps we'll learn what the Mayor's nervous about there.)  read more »

The Politicker and many others have been dismissing the notion that Bush could be a factor in this local race.

But Bloomberg pollster Doug Schoen has a bit more information than we do, so it's probably best to defer to what seems to be his judgement: that Mike has a big Bush problem.

Senator Schumer took a break from sparring with John Roberts to join Hillary in endorsing Freddy in Queens just now. More to come.  read more »

If at first you don’t succeed, advertise again.    read more »

If at first you don’t succeed, advertise again.That seems to be the policy of the abortion-rights  read more »

That John Roberts is bright, personable, Catholic and a devoted father is significant, but less impo  read more »

Down in Washington, Democrats' talking points on the Roberts nomination are all about process and judiciousness.

"Now that we have a nominee, the Senate has a duty to collect all the facts about his judicial philosophy and carefully consider his candidacy for the nation's highest court," Chuck Schumer wrote in a soporific email this morning.  read more »

Around here, however, they didn't get the memo. State Senator Eric Schneiderman just sent out an email asking supports to "Please join me today for a rally in Union Square Park with pro-choice groups united in opposition to George Bush's selection of John Roberts."

The rally, led by NARAL Pro-Choice New York and Planned Parenthood of New York City, starts at 5:00.

With CBS anchor Dan Rather preparing to vacate his desk in March 2005, the campaign to replace him h  read more »