Roberts's "mask"

Matthew Roberts writes in The Progressive,

He's figured out all the angles, he knows just what to say, and he says it with agility, aplomb, self-effacement, and humor.

Let's look beyond the rehearsed performance and examine the record.

Roberts was not just "working for a client" when he worked in the Reagan Justice Department and when he was principal deputy solicitor general under the first George Bush. "Roberts chose the 'client.' He chose to serve Administrations committed to rolling back civil rights protections, overturning Roe v. Wade, limiting access to federal courts, and undermining separation of church and state," as People for the American Way has noted.

He wasn't just some hired gun. He eagerly enlisted in the Reagan Revolution. And during the confirmation hearings, he beamed proudly at his association with it.

He was one of the architects of Bush I's legal rollbacks, including prohibiting the use of federal funds in family planning clinics that perform abortions, limiting affirmative action, loosening the demands of school integration, and restricting prisoner appeals.

And he wasn't hired at all in 2000 by George W. Bush. No, Roberts volunteered his legal services to help swing the disputed election into the Republican column.

The idea that he is somehow just an Indiana lawyer carrying a yellow legal pad and a briefcase for whoever wants his high-priced services is a joke.

In private practice, he faithfully served corporate America. And it's returning the favor. For the first time ever, the National Association of Manufacturers has come out in support of a nominee to the Supreme Court....