BIDEN: Sen. Biden Statement On Bork’s Endorsement Of Gov. Romney

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SEN. BIDEN STATEMENT ON BORK’S ENDORSEMENT OF GOV. ROMNEY


Wilmington, DE (December 18, 2007) – Today Sen. Joe Biden issued a statement following Robert Bork’s endorsement of Former Gov. Mitt Romney over the weekend:

“The hallmark of Robert Bork’s judicial philosophy has been his consistent refusal to acknowledge a constitutional right to privacy. That’s why I led the fight in 1987 to keep Judge Bork off the Supreme Court. In my view, his endorsement of Gov. Romney is not something to tout; it’s a damning portent of the judicial philosophy Romney would promote as President. The last thing we need after 8 years of the Bush Administration’s policies of eavesdropping on Americans, extra-legal renditions, and refusal to define waterboarding as torture, is another 8 years of recklessness with our constitutional rights. If Gov. Romney is serious about leading the United States, I urge him to repudiate Judge Bork’s narrow view of the Constitution and acknowledge our privacy rights as individuals.

“The truth is, our next president will have the responsibility of picking at least one, but probably two, Supreme Court justices. We cannot afford to cede an inch to the radical right when it comes to appointing justices who could put the Supreme Court on a more conservative trajectory for the next decade or more. Back in ‘87 when I led the fight to keep Robert Bork off the Supreme Court, I did so because he made it clear that he did not support the constitutional right to privacy recognized in Roe v. Wade and Griswold v. Connecticut, which have long served as the legal underpinnings of a woman’s right to reproductive choice.


“And let’s not forget that Robert Bork paved the way for Richard Nixon to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox after he requested tapes of Oval Office conversations. We find ourselves in a similar situation today, having learned that an administration official in the CIA had destroyed videotapes of the CIA's use of severe interrogation techniques on detainees held in secret, extra-legal prisons. Now, the Department of Justice is actually standing in the way of a congressional investigation into this corruption. The continuing saga of cover-up and delay by this administration must be stopped.

“We don’t need another President who will further erode the balance of power so vital to our nation’s well-being. Judge Bork’s endorsement of Gov. Romney makes me wonder if he shares Bork’s view of excessive Presidential authority.”

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