Looks like the base is pissed with reports there will be no vicious confirmation battle:
Major liberal groups accused Democratic senators yesterday of showing too little stomach for opposing John G. Roberts Jr.’s Supreme Court nomination, saying newly released documents indicate he is much more conservative than many people first thought.
The response was quick and pointed, as two key senators unleashed their sharpest criticisms yet of Roberts and sought to assure activists that the battle is far from over.
That would certainly explain this quote:
“All this talk about whether Democrats will support the Roberts nomination is laughably premature. The hearings have not even begun. The White House has so far refused to produce relevant documents, and the documents we have seen raise questions about the nominee’s commitment to progress on civil rights.
John Roberts must still persuade the Senate and the American people that he is a worthy replacement for Justice O’Connor and the jury is still out on that.”
Worthy replacement for O’Connor? I am a little rusty on the Constitution, but I don’t remember that aspect of the confirmation process.