"This is a time for justice tempered with mercy and understanding. There is no evidence of either in Judge Roberts’s career."

That's a line from Howard Dean's op-ed against Roberts, to be published in various papers tomorrow. The theme of the op-ed chimes with much of the questioning from the Democratic Senators. ("I'm trying to see your feelings as a man.") They seem to hope to plant in our minds a picture of the horrible Roberts the Robot.

We keep trying to talk about feelings and all he wants to talk about is — gasp! — law! How can we trust someone like that to be a judge?

The link to the op-ed came in an email that encouraged me to write an anti-Roberts letter using this link.

Here's how the encouragement goes:

John Roberts may have a sharp legal mind, but his record shows that he lacks a sense of justice.

The skills John Roberts displays are like those of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove or House Republican Leader Tom DeLay. Both of those men have sharp political minds -- they are among the smartest in Washington. But they use those skills to push a narrow ideology and win at any cost. Roberts has spent a career using the law to protect corporate interests and roll back the rights that protect us all.

Roberts, Rove, DeLay and the rest of the extremist Republican leadership all have the same problem. They abuse their power by pursuing ideological crusades -- and they ignore the real problems we face as a country and as a community.

Thousands of letters appearing in papers across the country will reach every American with our message -- that the time for narrow ideology and protecting the rights of only a few is over.

Roberts — he's like Rove! Be very afraid!