‘Enormous Hopes’:

Regarding fellow Reagan White House alumnus Roberts, Pat Buchanan told Gizzi: "He's an outstanding judge with a splendid record and far more qualified for the Supreme Court than several recent nominees. The question is whether John Roberts is a conservative who will overturn precedent that contradicts the Constitution. I hope so." But Buchanan also expressed concerns about Roberts' slim record on controversial issues. "One has to ask why the President did not go for a nominee with a longer record, such as [Judges] Edith Jones or Michael Luttig, who have been part of the cultural war?" said Buchanan. "Why not go for certitude rather than hopefulness?" Buchanan quickly added, however, that "all of [Roberts'] associates believe that he is a conservative. The conservative community has placed enormous hopes in John Roberts, so the pressure will be on him not to slap them in the face. I don't believe he's a David Souter. I pray that he is a Rehnquist and not a [Justice] Tony Kennedy."