Just when I'd given up on the old man, he comes through:

When asked whether he thought that that decision had had moral consequences, he said, oh yes. He explained: "It has led to the slaughter of millions of innocent unborn children." Does the attorney general of Alabama know nothing about governing protocols in dealing with proud liberal senators? You never say "unborn children" when referring merely to — fetuses. What you do is you tilt the language around a bit and talk about the rights of the mother. But Pryor — who almost certainly will not be confirmed — hadn't come to Washington to disguise his personal views on child pornography, homosexual practices, gun laws, or prayer in school. What he said was that he respected the right of the state legislatures to promulgate laws governing these matters, provided they did not violate constitutional postulates, for instance, the right to pray or to exhibit the Ten Commandments in a judge's chambers.

What is admirable about Mr. Pryor's personal deportment is his refusal to cavil. He came to conclusions about Roe v. Wade no different from those taken by Supreme Court justices who voted against the majority opinion in 1973. If a lawyer isn't free to believe that Roe was wrong as constitutional exegesis, and mischievous as political sociology, he isn't free to think, except as spokesperson for People for the American Way. The only proper concern for the Senate Committee, passing on a nomination by the president, who is given that authority by the Constitution, is whether the potential judge would enforce the law. And Pryor would do so, even laws based on opinions he thought wrong. He has more than once argued, as attorney general, to enforce the law based on judicial rulings with which he did not sympathize.

But people who are in favor of abortion don't want anybody around courthouses who thinks abortions immoral, let alone illegal. Because of course if they are, then those in favor of abortion are supporting immoral activity. Politicians don't want that kind of invidious language. That's why they talk about women's rights (which include the right to be immoral).

Sorry to take so much of that; it's so good, I could've taken the whole thing.

Stop over and read.