Two columns, by a friend and a foe of the Alito nomination, make the same valid point today. Both Bruce Fein in the Washington Times and E. J. Dionne in the Washington Post argue that the Bush administration, and perhaps Judge Alito himself (if senators’ accounts of what he has said to them are to be credited), are ducking a Senate fight over Roe v. Wade by none-too-credibly downplaying the significance of the judge’s views on that case when he was an executive branch lawyer 20 years ago. They’re both right. It’s past time drop this approach and confront the issue head-on.