IndependentCourt.Org, touted by NARAL, unveiled their latest television ad against Chief Justice Roberts’s confirmation today. Although liberals opposing Roberts have been much tamer than anticipated (as Hurricane Katrina has been too “distracting” according to Feminist Majority Foundation Eleanor Smeal) they still have no qualms manipulating footage of Roberts’s answers through his hearings for their ad.
The spot opens with white type on a black screen reading: Where does John Roberts stand on protecting our most fundamental freedoms? Then, it features a montage of Roberts’s refusing to answer questions dealing with cases likely to come before him as Chief Justice.
As a viewer you hear variations of: “I can’t talk about that.” Or, “It would not be appropriate for me to comment on that” for most of the clip. Only two other speakers, Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R.-Pa.) and Joseph Biden (D.-Del.) are shown in a short exchange. Biden says, “His answers are misleading!” Specter answers, “His answers may be misleading, but they’re his answers.”
The piece ends with Roberts saying ”I have to maintain some silence” and more white type on a black screen. It ends reading: Voting rights. Privacy. Opportunity for Women. By the time we do hear where John Roberts stands it will be too late.
Although general agreement seems to be reached on the likeability of Roberts, so one can be sure where he stands on teh issues. But ads like these do give some comfort to uneasy conservatives that his confirmation will signal a time "too late" for the left.
