how reassuring

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Oct 17, 2005

Writing for Opinion Journal, John Fund finally provides an answer to the question everyone is asking: Some Evangelical leaders apparently did receive assurances that Harriet Miers would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. But the assurance did not come from Miers herself.

During a conference call, Fund reports:

Then an unidentified voice asked the two men, "Based on your personal knowledge of her, if she had the opportunity, do you believe she would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade?"

"Absolutely," said Judge Kinkeade.

"I agree with that," said Justice Hecht. "I concur."

OK. Two friends think they can predict how she will vote. That's worth something. But how much?

Back in 1990, I had the opportunity to speak with the White House Chief of Staff about a Supreme Court nominee. John Sununu-- the former governor of the state where the nominee had served as attorney general and judge-- gave me his assurance that I could "absolutely" count on pro-life votes from Justice David Souter.

That doesn't mean that Harriet Miers would vote the same way Souter has voted. But neither does the testimony of her friends convince me that she wouldn't. We just don't know.