McCain focuses on the courts
The day's news properly belongs to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, but John McCain's remarks at Wake Forest University today deserve attention.
He spoke about the proper role of the courts and the philosophy of judicial restraint, which to him means deciding cases within the framework of law.
McCain decried the Senate's blockage of judicial nominees, which he said has created a crisis in the courts. He noted his role as one of the "Gang of 14" -- seven Republicans and seven Democrats -- who forged an agreement to stop the filibuster strategy. Their effort was unfortunately temporary, but it did account for some progress while it lasted.
He took an effective jab at Obama, noting the Illinois senator was one of only 22 Democrats to vote against the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts:
"And just where did John Roberts fall short, by the Senator's measure? Well, a justice of the court, as Senator Obama explained it -- and I quote -- should share 'one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of one's empathy.
"These vague words attempt to justify judicial activism -- come to think of it, they sound like an activist judge wrote them. And whatever they mean exactly, somehow Senator Obama's standards proved too lofty a standard for a nominee who was brilliant, fair-minded, and learned in the law, a nominee of clear rectitude who had proved more than the equal of any lawyer on the Judiciary Committee, and who today is respected by all as the Chief Justice of the United States. Somehow, by Senator Obama's standard, even Judge Roberts didn't measure up."
McCain noted that he, along with most Republican senators, voted to confirm President Clinton's Supreme Court nominees, Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
McCain's record indicates he's taken a fairer and less partisan approach to the Senate's advice and consent role than have many other senators. That's a strong indication that he could be trusted to make good judicial selections if he were president.