I’m no fan of Chief Justice Roberts, but I think he is essentially decent (albeit misguided and somewhat hard-hearted and lacking in empathy) and he has a great deal of respect for the Court as an institution. I can’t help but assume he is horrified by the thought of having Kavanaugh on his court.

In fact, I suspect that if, God forbid, Kavanaugh claws his way on to the Court, that might push Roberts further to the left since he won’t want to be aligned with someone so ignorant, partisan and discredited. I can see him horse-trading with the liberals - the way Earl Warren used to do - to cobble together majorities he needs without Kavanaugh’s vote.