From Gov. Howard Dean

For some reason, "Chairman Dean" seemed too socialistic. I usually support and agree with him, because he's giving the Democratic Party some GUTS. He might be overly partisan, but hell, that's HIS job as the chairman of the DNC. I don't agree with the following letter he sent out, but it's good to know what is beign said against Roberts.

Dear Fellow Democrat,

I've been watching Supreme Court nominee John Roberts artfully dodge question after question during his confirmation hearings. And I've read the limited documents the White House released about his work in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations -- though we are still waiting for answers for the over 100,000 Americans who submitted Freedom of Information Act requests for key documents.

But we know enough to see a pattern -- and I've made up my mind about John Roberts. He's the wrong man at the wrong time for our country -- a trait that he shares with much of the Republican leadership, including the president who nominated him.

I've written an op-ed that will appear in newspapers across the country tomorrow (you can get a preview at the bottom of this message). But I am just one voice -- your community needs to hear from you. By filling local papers with letters to editors, Americans watching this process unfold will understand that we have a different vision for the court and a different vision for our country.

Join me on editorial pages across America by writing a letter to the editor -- with our new online tool and talking points, you can write and submit your letter in minutes:

http://www.democrats.org/robertsletters

John Roberts may have a sharp legal mind, but his record shows that he lacks a sense of justice.

The skills John Roberts displays are like those of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove or House Republican Leader Tom DeLay. Both of those men have sharp political minds -- they are among the smartest in Washington. But they use those skills to push a narrow ideology and win at any cost. Roberts has spent a career using the law to protect corporate interests and roll back the rights that protect us all.

Roberts, Rove, DeLay and the rest of the extremist Republican leadership all have the same problem. They abuse their power by pursuing ideological crusades -- and they ignore the real problems we face as a country and as a community.

Thousands of letters appearing in papers across the country will reach every American with our message -- that the time for narrow ideology and protecting the rights of only a few is over. Write a letter to the editor now:

http://www.democrats.org/robertsletters

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the disastrous response, we have seen the consequences of government by ideologues and political cronies. We have also seen the stark reality of American life that people like Roberts, Rove and DeLay either don't understand or choose to ignore -- that inequalities still persist to this day.

Our rights -- and the rights of the most vulnerable in our society -- are in danger. They are in danger from those who actively seek to roll them back, and they are in danger from those in positions of leadership who don't understand how important it is to protect the rights of every American.

The ultimate battleground for justice, fairness and opportunity in America has always been the Supreme Court. Justices have the power to use the law to hold America back, and they have the power to use the law to hold America to the high moral standards we set for ourselves.

Let's make sure that Americans open their newspapers and understand the stakes:

http://www.democrats.org/robertsletters

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

I still strongly believe that the Democrats should hold their fire for the next one. Frankly, Roberts isn't Janice Rogers Brown. His record shows that he used strong language backing the conservative agenda of a conservative president. However, I agree more with Justice O'Connor on Roberts:

"He's good in every way, except he's not a woman."

And quite frankly, I'd rather have a nerdy conservative lawyer be on the Supreme Court than an older, Republican version of me.