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Tuesday, July 19, 2005
What They're Saying III: More Praise Of Judge John G. Roberts

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): "The Nominee Is Honest, Legally Skilled And Has A Good Temperament." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 7/19/05)

Former Sen. John Breaux (D-LA): "[I] Do Think That The President Did A Very Good Job. I Mean, Talking To 70 Senators Approximately, Republicans And Democrats, Bringing In Pat Leahy And Senator Harry Reid Now For Consultation I Think Was The Right Thing To Do." (Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes," 7/19/05)

Breaux (D-LA): "[I] Don't Have A Problem With A Conservative President, Which George Bush Is, Appointing A Conservative Nominee To The Supreme Court." (Fox News' "Hannity And Colmes," 7/19/05)

Newsweek's Howard Fineman: "This Is A First-Class Jurist. He Is Going To Be Extremely Difficult To Dislodge. He Has Already Got A Big Bunch Of Momentum Behind Him In Town." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 7/19/05)

Fineman: "It Is A Bold Move, And I Was Somewhat Surprised At The Sort Of Muted Reactions Of Some Of The Moderates And Liberals Around Town In The First Couple Of Hours, Because The More I Look At John Roberts, The More I Realize That The President And Conservatives In This Country Have Almost Their Perfect Candidate." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 7/19/05)

Fineman: "He Is A Guy Who Has Broad Connections Around Town, Who Is Known Not Only Through Harvard Ties But Social Affairs With People Here. He Is A Comforting Figure In That Sense. It Was A Politically Brilliant Pick, Not For The Least Of Which Because The Guy Is From Buffalo, Which Means That Ultimately Tim Russert Will Be On His Side." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 7/19/05)

Fineman: "Because His Credentials Are So Good As A Jurist, Groups Like People For The American Way And Many Democrats Have Been Forced At Least Initially To Hold Back Because There's No Doubt That This Guy Is Not Some Sort Of Hot House Conservative With No Real World Experience." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 7/19/05)

Former Attorney General Edwin Meese: "I Know Him Well. I Think The President Is To Be Commended For His Outstanding Appointment. An Outstanding Nomination." (Fox News' "Hannity And Colmes," 7/19/05)

Time's Jay Carney: "[Roberts Is] A Civil Nominee And A Civil Candidate ..." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 7/19/05)

Former Presidential Advisor David Gergen: "He Was At Hogan & Hartson, A Gold Plated Firm In Washington." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 7/19/05)

Gergen: "Judge Roberts, By Comparison, When He Was At Hogan & Hartson Was Regarded As One Of The Best Oral Advocates Before The Supreme Court Of The 1990s. He's Affable, He Argues Well And I Would Imagine ... He Would Make A Very Good Witness For Himself." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 7/19/05)

USC Law Professor And Democrat Consultant Susan Estrich: "[J]ohn Roberts Is A Very Smart Guy ... He Has Fine Credentials ..." (Fox News' "On The Record," 7/19/05)

Estrich: "In John Roberts You Have Somebody Who Is A Real Developed Intellectual And By That I Mean Here Is A Guy Who For The Last 25 Years Has Been Articulating His Intellectual Views." (Fox News' "On The Record," 7/19/05)

Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe: "I Know John Roberts. I Think He's Brilliant ..." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 7/19/05)

Tribe: "If I Were On The Court, I Would Love To Have Him As A Colleague ..." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 7/19/05)

Former White House Deputy Counsel David Leitch: "[Roberts Has] Argued About 40 Cases Before The Supreme Court. I Think It Really Demonstrates A Wide Array Of Both Issues And Sides Of Issues That Are Presented." (PBS's "News Hour With Jim Lehrer," 7/1905)

Leitch: "[Roberts Is A] Warm [And] Likeable Person." (PBS's "News Hour With Jim Lehrer," 7/19/05)
Leitch: "[Roberts Is An] Outstanding Advocate." (PBS's "News Hour With Jim Lehrer," 7/19/05)

Bloomberg: "Roberts Is One Of The Country's Most Experienced Supreme Court Practitioners." ("John Roberts Chosen By Bush For U.S. Supreme Court," Bloomberg, 7/19/05)

The New York Times David Brooks: "Home Run. I Go For The Baseball Metaphors. Fantastic Choice." (PBS' "Newshour," 7/19/05)

PBS' Gwen Ifill: "You Have Heard What All The Experts Have Said So Far Tonight. Most Of Them Are Saying John Roberts Seems Like A Pretty Nice Guy Who Shouldn't Expect A Real Difficult Confirmation Process." (PBS' "Newshour," 7/19/05)

National Journal's Stuart Taylor Jr.: "Everything I've Learned About Him Is That He's A Very Judicious Fellow Who Will Keep An Open Mind To Issues Until They're Presented To Him." (PBS' "Newshour," 7/19/05)

CNN's Jeffrey Toobin: "[Roberts Is] Better Than What You'd Expect. ... John Roberts Has Been Known As Just About The Best Lawyer In Washington. And That's Saying A Lot." (CNN's "News Night With Aaron Brown," 7/19/05)

Toobin: "You Have To Give The President Credit For Naming Someone Who Has Intellectual Fire Power And Smarts And Competence That Is Absolutely Beyond Question." (CNN's "News Night With Aaron Brown," 7/19/05)