Man in the Grey Flannel Robe

Forget Roe v Wade, forget a right-wing agenda, if you really want to know who John Roberts is, look in the high-rise office buildings of any major city. Roberts, like his buddy W, is a big fan of big business and we can all be assured that corporate interests will be protected if Roberts becomes Chief Justice. We saw some Righties (including Tom DeLay) become righteously indignant about the recent "eminent domain" ruling that allowed government to sieze private property for economic development. That decision is peanuts compared to the bulldozing of the individual we are likely to see during the potentially long tenure of a Roberts court (he's only 50!).

It actually makes more sense for W to be pro-government rather than pro-business. After all, he is a failed businessman and the government has bailed his ass out of potential bankruptcy many times (failed oil ventures, a new Rangers stadium). Not to mention the dollars his family has earned from generations of government jobs. And the Bushes are still beholden: his Dad continues to enjoy lucrative corporate board salaries and W's political career has been protected time after time by corporations.

Think about it: the cold war ended and W came to the rescue of ailing defense contractors with multi-billion dollar contracts embedded in the Iraq war and the Homeland Security Act and his tax cuts for the wealthy have filled up corporate coffers. His initiatives for "clean air" and "healthy forests" increasingly foul our air and allow more clearcutting so corporate wallets fatten faster than the American waistline.

All the rest of it -- the faux focus on Christian values, the Terri Schiavo sideshow, vicious pundits like Anne Coulter and Bill O'Reilly -- are window dressing to keep us distracted and divided while corporations scorch our economic earth. While we panicked over losing even more civil rights if Alberto Gonzales were confirmed or if Antonin Scalia were promoted to Chief Justice, W continued his tradition of nominating cronies who share his pro-business agenda. That's where the smooth Mr. Roberts comes in.

Don't be distracted by ads that urge us to give Roberts a fair "up or down" vote or which espouse his neutrality. Roberts has always been a friend of business and if there is one consistent priority for W, it is to take care of his friends.

Link: Harold Evans, BBC News "The Princess and the Frog"
Link: Capital Times (WI)"Roberts is No Friend of Working People."
Link: Reuters "Interest Groups Line Up On Roberts Nomination"