Reid To Vote 'No' on Roberts

This went up on NYTimes.com about 15-20 minutes ago.

Democratic Leader Intends to Vote Against Roberts
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 - Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, intends to vote against the confirmation of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to be the nation's 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court, a Senate Democratic aide said today.

The aide declined to elaborate, saying Mr. Reid would detail his reasoning in a speech this afternoon on the Senate floor. But with Democrats openly conflicted about the nomination, Mr. Reid's decision could set a tone for the rest of his caucus to follow.

The move comes as a surprise; many Senate observers expected Mr. Reid, who comes from a Republican-leaning state, to support Judge Roberts. But with a second vacancy on the court, Mr. Reid could be using his vote to send a message to the White House, which must replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a critical swing vote on the court.

Democrats have insisted that Mr. Bush replace Justice O'Connor with a moderate, and Mr. Reid has already declared that several candidates the White House is considering would be unacceptable to Democrats.

Mr. Reid and his Republican counterpart, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, have been invited to meet with President Bush Wednesday morning to discuss the second vacancy; the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and the committee's senior Democrat, Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, have also been invited.

With a vote in committee scheduled for Thursday, the eight Democrats on the judiciary panel met this morning to discuss the nomination. They emerged tight-lipped, saying they wanted to speak to the entire Democratic caucus before announcing their votes. At least one, Senator Leahy, said he had not yet reached a decision.

"I'm close," Mr. Leahy said. Asked if he would know by the end of the day, he said, "I may. You won't."

I'm sorry, but why do I have a hard time believing that Leahy has not yet reached a decision?