On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 10:12:44 GMT, Strabo
wrote:

In OT - Federalist on Wed, 27 Jul 2005 20:40:48 -0400, by Cliff,
we read:

"Roberts has also been linked to the ultra-conservative Federalist
Society. Although Roberts says he has no memory of belonging to that
organization ..."
"... his name is listed in the 1997-98 leadership directory as a
member of the steering committee of its Washington chapter, according
to the Washington Post"

Roberts is a federalist and a conservative, what did you expect?

Roberts is also the least likely nominee to alter the original
intent of the Constitution that you'll get from Bush.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...072002431.html

Federalist Affiliation Misstated
Roberts Does Not Belong to Group

By Charles Lane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 21, 2005; Page A16

Everyone knows that, like all good Republican lawyers, John G. Roberts
Jr. is a member of the Federalist Society, the conservative law and
public policy organization where right-of-center types meet to
denounce liberalism and angle for jobs in the Bush administration.

And practically everyone -- CNN, the Los Angeles Times, Legal Times
and, just yesterday, The Washington Post -- has reported Roberts's
membership as a fact. One liberal group opposed to Roberts's
nomination, the Alliance for Justice, has noted it on its Web site.


But they are wrong. John Roberts is not, in fact, a member of the
Federalist Society, and he says he never has been.

"He has no recollection of ever being a member," said Dana Perino, a
White House spokeswoman who contacted reporters to correct the mistake
yesterday.

She said that Roberts recalls speaking at Federalist Society forums
(as have lawyers and legal scholars of various political stripes). But
he has apparently never paid the $50 annual fee that would make him a
full-fledged member. His disclosure forms submitted in connection with
his 2003 nomination to the D.C. Circuit make no mention of it.

How this urban legend got started is not clear. The issue probably got
clouded in part because the Federalist Society's membership is
confidential; individual members must decide whether or not to
acknowledge their affiliation.

Even some conservatives found the story plausible.

"I'm shocked that he is not," said Richard A. Samp, chief counsel of
the right-of-center Washington Legal Foundation.

Upon reflection, some Federalist Society members conceded that they
had never actually seen Roberts at meet-and-greets such as the
society's annual black-tie dinner.

"That's a good question, let me think. Now that you mention it -- no,"
was former Bush Justice Department official Viet Dinh's response when
asked if he had ever spotted Roberts at any Federalist events.

A related question is why Roberts would not want to be a member.

Some conservatives said that a Federalist affiliation, while a
definite plus within Bush administration circles, could only provoke
hostile questions from Senate Democrats -- so Roberts, in keeping with
his low-key approach to conservatism, just steered clear.

"It's smart from his perspective," a former Bush administration
official said.


Liberals - Cosmopolitan critics, men who are the friends
of every country save their own. Benjamin Disraeli