President Bush Approval Rating is at 41% with his disapproval rating at 53% according to a NY TImes/CBS News poll.

The hurricane, alone, does not appear to have taken any significant toll on Mr. Bush’s overall job approval rating, which remains stuck virtually where it has been since early summer. But the findings do suggest that the slow federal response to the hurricane has increased public doubts about the Bush administration’s effectiveness. Fifty-six percent of Americans said they were now less confident about the government’s ability to respond to a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

If you read Robert’s testimony carefully, you can see that he considers Roe settled precedence. However, Casey determines its continuing authority. This does not mean that Roberts will never vote to overrule Roe, as some have suggested. Rather it means that Roe is settled insofar that the precedence does not become vulnerable along the lines set forth by the Casey opinion. Specifically this vulnerability is if the “reliance interest” in the precedent is too large, the precedence proves unworkable, the precedence is undermined by later rulings or new facts arise. This works into the belief, suggested by Prof Jack Balkin and others, that his approach may well be to narrowly read Roe and slowly weaken it. Roberts did acknowledge the existence of a right to privacy and the soundness of Griswold v. Connecticut, but he certainly did not say the right was expansive or in anyway particularly inclusive.

Interesting Blog Post by Karen Pearl, Planned Parenthood of America on the Washington Post.

Funny moment happened earlier today:

Sen. Arlen Specter joked that he was still waiting for answers to questions he had submitted to Reich when he was secretary of Health and Human Services.

“That’s because I was Secretary of Labor,” Reich replied.

Also NY Times news analysis of Specter’s questions with regards to overturning congressional acts. Interesting and important to know, although I do not have a cogent view on the matter.

We’ll be back on Sunday to a regular posting schedule, I guess Zac and I both forgot how crazy it gets moving and settling back in to school.

Of course, our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of Katrina. And I would encourage everyone to give money and not goods. The Red Cross is well equipped to deal with this type of situation, and they need support. Their hurricane relief system has helped thousands over the years, and this is something of a scale they have never dealt with. Also, be sure to stop over and give blood, medical supplies will be in demand.