If the Democratic Party were a rallying point instead of a poor alternative, it could be true to its principles and get good mileage from the upcoming nomination battle by focusing less on Roberts and more on Bush. Once Roberts has refused to shed any light on his views in the hearings, it might go something like this:
"Our country is in a crisis of confidence as deep as any we've seen at least since the Watergate scandals four decades ago. An ongoing federal investigation may result in serious criminal charges, possibly even including treason, against ranking members of the current administration. No one now knows how far up in the White House the investigation might lead, nor whether they will force us to take steps leading to impeachment.
We do know that the current administration has sacrificed the lives and futures of thousands of young Americans and more than one hundred thousand Iraqi lives on an altar built of deliberate lies and the most heartless kind of political manipulation. As a consequence of a pattern of deceit and coverup, this administration no longer has the confidence of most Americans even though we are engaged in a bloody foreign war. On this administration's watch, for the first time in the history of our nation, most Americans now say they no longer trust the Supreme Court of the United States. The corrosion of every branch of government by the duplicity of this administration and its Congressional allies is now complete.
Amid the poisonous atmosphere it has created, the administration now submits a Supreme Court nominee who is, essentially, a blank slate: a corporate lawyer with barely any judicial experience and no expertise in constitutional law. Some have called him a stealth candidate, one who will deflect examination of his relevant record because he has no relevant record. He is, at the very least, not a nominee with the slightest probabilty of restoring trust in the Court or the government.
We are asked to accept this candidate on trust. Like the American people, we have no trust in those who submitted this nomination. Therefore we will oppose the nomination using every tool at our disposal. We will continue to oppose subsequent Supreme Court nominees until the administration proposes someone whose excellence and love of justice is beyond question.
This adminstration's actions have provoked a crisis that will almost certainly involve the Supreme Court either in matters of criminal or administrative malfeasance or impeachment investigations. Now is not the time to blindly place a hand-picked blank slate in position to determine the outcome of those events. We intend, therefore, to insist with every ounce of strength and will we have that the next member of the Supreme Court represent the best of America, not the most invisible. Our nation is blessed with a plentitude of worthy candidates who meet and exceed that minimal requirement. We eagerly await the day that the White House nominates one of them."
[Adapted from my earlier post over at Booman Tribune.]