Who the Heck is John G. Roberts Jr.?

Well, for one thing, he is Preznit Bush's nomination to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. This completely blindsided me. I have no idea who he is or what his views are. Maybe that's not so surprising. Well, guess what: Very few other people seem to have a handle on him either since he has "a limited public record on social issues" (Bloomberg.com). And, as Buck reminds us, Roberts will soon leave the comfy shade of a not-so-public-life for the "glaring light and microscopic scrutiny that only 15 second sound bites can give" as every aspect of his life and career are mercilessly scrutinized. But while we wait for the hearings, people can still talk and form opinions, can't they? Here are some views for your perusal right now, courtesy of WatchBlog.com (remember, these are not my labels -- or titles! -- they come straight from WatchBlog):

• Democrat/Liberal Slant -- Who's the Cracker?
• Third Party/Independent Slant -- Judge Roberts: Tempest in a Teapot?
• Republican/Conservative Slant -- Advise and Consent

Let the games begin... ____________________________ Update 07-20-2005 9:41 am: The blogosphere is starting to weigh in a bit more. Josh Marshall points out an interesting Law.com article that was posted back in February of this year: D.C. Circuit Judge Gets on Supreme Court Short List The BullMoose refers to Roberts as the "Son of Rehnquist." Outside the Beltway provides a summary of posts Assessing John Roberts. "Thus far," writes Joyner, "the consensus seems to be that he's both a match for the judicial philosophy that conservatives demand and yet sufficiently judicious as to be easily confirmable." The Moderate Voice has a whole lot of conversation going on (and it is summarized on one page here). Piper seems pleasantly surprised by Roberts' heartthrob status. Stickings calls the nom a score for the base. And Joe Gandelman has tirelessly (well, I can only assume his stamina far exceeds mine -- I got tired just scrolling through the post) summarized his and other's views on the upcoming battle -- definitely the must-read post on the blog today.