Libertarians for Alito

To my dismay, giddy Christian activists are in Seventh Heaven over the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Troy Newman of the pro-life Operation Rescue exults, "We are trusting that we are now on the fast-track to derailing Roe v. Wade as the law of the land." Roberta Combs, president of the Christian Coalition, declares, "President Bush has hit a homerun with this nomination." Don Swarthout, president of Christians Reviving America's Values, adds, "We need someone on the US Supreme Court who stands for the true principles of America and applies them with common sense. In fact, I think most of America would agree that it is time for our nation to stop our tolerance for diversity programs that are detrimental to our nation."

But the libertarians over at the Competitive Enterprise Institute also see some reason to cheer:

Alito has issued landmark decisions upholding the free speech rights and freedom of association of business trade associations (Pfizer v. Giles (1995) and commercial free-speech rights (Pitt News v. Pappert (2004). His rulings have also shown a grasp of the regulatory and legal challenges facing business and an appreciation of the value of free markets.