The third Presidential debate did provide another example of the candidates’ views on abortion, but both candidates were unconvincing in their responses to Bob Schieffer’s questions on the matter. On whether a potential nominee’s views on Roe would be a “litmus” test for the new President, both Senator McCain and Senator Obama denied it would be.  Frankly, I don’t believe  McCain’s response was truthful.  This is because I am acutely aware of the shenanigans employed by conservative activist groups to guarantee that George W. Bush would only be allowed to get two anti-choice zealots on the court.  Beliefnet’s own Dan Gilgoff wrote a fine book in which he describes how the Right decided to fervently support John Roberts as the new chief justice.  Basically, a number of leaders of your team, Jay (and you may have been there) quickly concluded that because Mrs. Roberts was active in the group Feminists for Life, John could be assumed to be an easy anti-choice vote. It is also now well known that Harriet Miers nomination was sunk because her anti-choice record was non-existent and nobody on the Right wanted to risk another David Souter.  Now, how would a President John McCain possibly pick a nominee who had not proven his or her bona fides on abortion?  You folks would go ballistic and demand he go back to the same short list of federal judges you kept throwing around during the Bush presidency.