If Schumer (or the Times) thinks he is moderate or in the American mainstream, he has failed Mao's first test.
However, I dispute the charge that Schumer is bigoted against Catholics. Schumer is bigoted against all who have deeply held religious beliefs, including Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims. But even that list is incomplete. Now one can add Latinos, African-Americans and any others in the Rainbow Coalition who have deeply held beliefs on the sanctity of life and of marriage or in strict constructionist judicial interpretations of the U.S. Constitution.
The Times almost got it right when they quoted Michael Long of NY's Conservative Party ... "[Schumer] has a very strong bias." Unfortunately, it extends against (d)emocratic traditions that favor majority legislative decisions, the Senate's responsibility in the nomination-confirmation process to Advise and Consent, and more generally the rule of law, as we saw during the Clinton impeachment hearings.
One attention-grabbing Times quote is "Some fellow politicians and political strategists said the reaction [Schumer] has stirred clearly underscored his effectiveness in controlling the debate over the ideological shape of the nation's courts."
Clearly, the Times would not be writing this story to soften Schumer's image if the clamor by conservatives in the media and on the Internet were not having a profound effect on Schumer's reelection prospects in 2004.
Boy, would it not be great to have a pubbie beat upchuck in the next election.