New Ad Says 'too Much at Stake'to Allow Roberts on High Court(NARAL)

[cal04]

Details of a television ad released Friday by the liberal interest group NARAL Pro-Choice America against President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, John G. Roberts:

TITLE: "Rights."
LENGTH: 30 seconds.
AIRING: Nationally on cable channel CNN. Local cable programming in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
SCRIPT: Announcer: "Privacy. Equality. The right to choose. Fundamental freedoms Americans have cherished for generations. But John Roberts dismisses one of our established liberties as the so-called right to privacy and co-wrote a brief arguing that Roe v Wade should be overruled. Roberts' legal record raises questions on whether he accepts the right to privacy. There's just too much at stake to let John Roberts become a decisive vote on the Supreme Court."

KEY IMAGES: Pictures of smiling families with an American flag in the background; quotes from Roberts' memo, court briefs and a USA Today editorial quote with the Supreme Court building in the background; John Roberts speaking at a lectern.

ANALYSIS: NARAL Pro-Choice America is using this ad to replace one it pulled earlier after criticism that it was inaccurate and unfair. It uses a phrase from John Roberts' released memos, the quote "so-called right to privacy," to try and prove that he would be anti-abortion if confirmed to the Supreme Court. It also points out that he co-authored a government brief submitted to the Supreme Court that said Roe v. Wade was incorrectly decided. Its images of smiling people and an American flag in the background are markedly different from NARAL's previous Roberts commercial, which featured a bombed Alabama abortion clinic and a woman who was injured in that bombing. That commercial brought immediate criticism of NARAL, even from abortion rights supporters. NARAL leader Nancy Keenan says instead of debating the original commercial, the new ad "keeps the public debate focused on the threats that he poses to our freedom."

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBMG43XUCE.html

View the ad
http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/about/newsroom/pressrelease/pr08262005_ad_released.cfm

[funflower]

1. I'm worried about Roe, but I think Roberts will be especially dangerous

when it comes time to talk about the powers of the executive branch and who won a future presidential election. He upheld the military "commissions" in Gitmo. I find that truly terrifying.

[txaslftist]

2. I hate to support a right-winger like Roberts...

..but compared to the alternative potential nominees, he's about as good as we could expect from the neocon pres.

[blm]

3. John Roberts is a Pat Robertson Republican.

.