Bork in sheep's clothing?

The revelations this week of John Roberts's gift for sarcasm may serve to bolster the impression of a very smart and quite likeable fellow, but must not conceal the underlying beliefs so amusingly packaged; no doubt his supporters (of whom I had tentatively been one, given the odds) will protest that the zingers in his past writings offer nothing more than the promise of clever levity and good fellowship in future Supreme Court deliberations.

At this point it appears unlikely — as in, a snowball's chance — that the Senate will disapprove this nomination, so Democrats had best save their political capital, to the extent it may exist, for battles they can win, lest the good ol' "obstructionist" charge be given credibility. But don't let's roll over, my friends. After all, we may at least retain some "I warned you!" value if this guy turns out to be a disaster for America.

Go to NPR.org and listen to Nina Totenberg's list of Robertsisms, broadcast on Morning Edition today. Here's one sample, also cited in today's New York Times:

Responding to a letter from the American Jewish Committee in 1981, he asked a supervisor, "Is this draft response O.K. - i.e., does it succeed in saying nothing at all?"

Doesn't bode well for the upcoming hearings . . .