Tuesday, November 15, 2005

I Only Said that Because I Wanted Them To Hire Me

That's what Alito told Diane Feinstein when she questioned him about his comments on Roe v. Wade in 1985. Fair enough, I guess, but isn't Alito now seeking another job, one with lifetime tenure and tons of perks? As Kevin Drum points out, the position he takes on Roe in the letter is not "Roe vs. Wade bothers me because I abhor abortion" but that "the constitution does not protect the right to an abortion." That's a statement of his view not just of abortion, but of the legitimacy of law that allows it. Should Senators not ask whether Alito's positions on the law change when the job he's seeking changes? What happens when he gets on the Supreme Court and no longer has to worry about unemployment?

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