Hard target

Politics | Liberals choose their weapon to attack nominee John Roberts | Lynn Vincent

Top of his class, Harvard Law. Universally acclaimed record in public and private practice. As an advocate before the Supreme Court, virtually peerless.

How do you smear a guy like that?

Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' glowing credentials temporarily stumped liberals and allied Democrats. But they quickly recovered. A blizzard of briefs, press releases, and media sound bites over the past two weeks gave shape to an emerging Democratic strategy: Paint Mr. Roberts as soft on civil rights.

The nominee holds a "rather cramped view of the Voting Rights Act," Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) said at a July 28 press briefing. Memos from Mr. Roberts' Justice Department years "certainly raise some questions in my mind about his commitment" to civil rights, the senator added.