Keep it cool

John Roberts has finished his testimony, and nobody touched him or made him flinch. The only question remaining is how many Senate Democrats will vote for him. It had better be quite a few, or the party will show itself to be completey out of touch with that "mainstream" everybody keeps talking about. Not that many Republicans have any better appreciation of constitutionalism -- they would also like an activist justice, just for their causes. But Democrats clearly have the poorest grasp of the court's role. Consider this:

Schumer suggested that his testimony revealed that some qualities the otherwise stellar nominee might be lacking include "compassion and humanity. It's important to determine not just the quality of your mind but the fullness of your heart . . . the ability to truly empathize with those who are less fortunate and who often need the protections of the government and the assistance of the law to have any chance at all," said the New York Democrat.

No, no, no.. The court should not be about the heart, but the mind. The purpose of the law is to remove the hot passion from issues and replace it with the cold logic of reason. That's the only way we can establish rules to live by that everyone understands and most follow. The most powerful corporation in the nation and the poorest person on the planet deserve to win their cases if the law and the Constitution are on their side and lose if they aren't.