McCain lambastes judicial activism

Presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) on Tuesday strongly spoke out against judicial activism and sought to appease social conservatives by saying that John Roberts and Samuel Alito are the type of justices he would nominate for the Supreme Court.

{mosads}“I will look for people in the cast of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and my friend the late William Rehnquist — jurists of the highest caliber who know their own minds, and know the law, and know the difference,” McCain said. “My nominees will understand that there are clear limits to the scope of judicial power, and clear limits to the scope of federal power.”

McCain strongly criticized Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) for opposing the confirmation of Roberts.

“He went right along with the partisan crowd, and was among the 22 senators to vote against this highly qualified nominee,” McCain said during a speech at Wake Forest University. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) also opposed the nomination.

In language that should play well with social conservatives, the Arizona senator blasted the “common and systematic abuse of our federal courts by the people we entrust with judicial power.”

McCain had irked those conservatives through his participation in the so-called "Gang of 14," a bipartisan group of senators that sought to compromise on judicial nominees. Obama and Clinton were not part of the group.

Democrats seized on McCain’s remarks, saying that he would continue down a path that President Bush embarked upon.

“When voters see John McCain's real record, they are not going to elect a radical rubberstamp who voted for every one of President Bush's activist judges and promises hundreds more just like them,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a supporter of Obama, said McCain “chose to pander to those on the far right who prefer partisan fights designed to energize a political base during an election year.”