John Roberts

I like the way he answers questions -- I suspect he's the kind of pragmatic executive that stupid people thought they saw when they voted for Bush the first time. The consensus among NPR legal experts seems to be that his testimony thus far is a big disappointment for conservatives looking for an activist on their side of the bench. One reason to like him.

Two question I wish a Democratic senator would ask:

1. Do you think the example of Portugal offers any lessons for lawmakers and law-interpreters addressing the issue of abortion? (This is a really loaded question, given the whole international law debate. If he pleads ignorance -- offer an overview of recent developments and restate the question.)

2. Are familiar with the controversy over the teaching of evolution in high school biology classes? In your judgement, is there a reasonable basis for not making evolutionary theory the foundation of modern instruction in biology? Do you find that the evidence supports the claim that evolution explains the historical development of human beings? (This should be the real litmus test!)