Well, no more tea leaf reading. The Washington Times has uncovered an Alito document which spells out his positions in black and white:
Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee, wrote that "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion" in a 1985 document obtained by The Washington Times.
"I personally believe very strongly" in this legal position, Mr. Alito wrote on his application to become deputy assistant to Attorney General Edwin I. Meese III…
"It has been an honor and source of personal satisfaction for me to serve in the office of the Solicitor General during President Reagan’s administration and to help to advance legal positions in which I personally believe very strongly," he wrote.
"I am particularly proud of my contributions in recent cases in which the government has argued in the Supreme Court that racial and ethnic quotas should not be allowed and that the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."…
"I believe very strongly in limited government, federalism, free enterprise, the supremacy of the elected branches of government, the need for a strong defense and effective law enforcement, and the legitimacy of a government role in protecting traditional values," he wrote.
That last paragraph trips me up.
A limited government? Fine.
But a government which takes an active role in protecting traditional values? That means the government would have to define what those "traditional values" are . . . and then protect them.
Unfortunately, a government which takes on that role is not "limited". It’s Orwellian. You can’t have it both ways.