Advice and Consent: Judge Neil Gorsuch gave no indication in his Senate confirmation hearing how he would rule on a variety of issues, but he said he respects precedent and that the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion is a long-standing precedent. “I would tell you that Roe vs. Wade, decided in 1973, is the precedent of the United States Supreme Court,” saying that “all of the other factors that go into analyzing precedent have to be considered.” There’s wiggle room in there. He didn’t say he would not overrule the precedent.

President Trump said he would choose Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, but Gorsuch said he was never asked about it.

Although his philosophy is to rule according to the original meaning of the Constitution, Gorsuch said he’s not stuck in the past. “The Constitution doesn’t change,” he said. “The world around us changes.” He said the Constitution can adapt to the modern world. “I’m not looking to take us back to quill pens and the horse and buggy,” he said.

When Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy asked Gorsuch if a President is free to ignore laws on national security grounds, Gorsuch replied that “nobody is above the law in this country, and that includes the president of the United States.”

The Democrats pursued questions attempting to show that Gorsuch tends to rule in favor of companies over common people. They think the amiable judge is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Criticizing Gorsuch’s decision in favor of a company that fired a truck driver who abandoned his tractor-trailer in freezing weather, Sen. Al Franken said, “That’s absurd.” Franken, who used to be in the cast of Saturday Night Live, said, “Now, I had a career in identifying absurdity. And I know it when I see it.”

The hearing had its light moments. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he was glad President Trump chose Judge Gorsuch. “Quite frankly, I was quite worried about who he’d pick. Maybe somebody on TV.”

To Your Health: President Trump went to Capitol Hill yesterday to herd members of Congress into voting for the new healthcare act. He told members to vote for the bill or lose their seats in the next election. Rep. Chris Collins said, “He said we would lose the House and the Senate if we don’t get this passed.”

At least 24 Republicans are opposed to the bill, enough to kill it. Not only is the bill at stake, but the political reputation of the President and the Congress. If they can’t pass a bill while controlling both houses of Congress and the White House, they come up looking incompetent.

There’s danger also if they pass the bill. If Trumpcare is not better than Obamacare, there’ll be a political riot.

Hermit Kingdom: North Korea launched a ballistic missile this morning, but it blew up moments after takeoff. What North Korea is saying with its continuing missile tests is that the country is not afraid of military strikes by the US as threatened by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Permawar: A surge of attacks by Syrian rebels has rocked the capital city of Damascus. Islamist rebel groups and hardline Qaeda-linked jihadists have fought their way to within a mile of the old city.

The Obit Page: Game show impresario Chuck Barris, who created and hosted “The Gong Show” in the 1970s, has died at age 87. Barris also created “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game.”

Barris had a varied reputation. He claimed on his resume that he had once been an assassin for the CIA. Lesser known about Barris, he wrote the hit song “Palisades Park” for Freddy Cannon.

Free Speech: Right-wing firebrand Tomi Lahren has been pulled from Glen Beck’s website the Blaze for straying from conservative orthodoxy. The 24-year-old Lahren, who has said, “real women don’t wake up and skip work to march for abortions,” said as a guest on ABC’s “The View” that, “You know what? I’m for limited government, so stay out of my guns, and you can stay out of my body as well.”

She’s been benched for a week.

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