Ann Wilkins/AP

Chief Justice John Roberts at D.C. program.

A day after drawing the ire of Republicans with his tiebreaking vote to uphold Obamacare, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts quipped he would be spending the summer in an “impregnable fortress.”
Roberts’ humor underscores how he has been scorned by conservatives, who were counting on him to help strike down President Obama’s historic health care reforms.
The Chief Justice, a conservative appointed by George W. Bush, said at a federal judicial conference in Pennsylvania Friday how he would spend his time until the court goes back in session in October. He joked about his need for a safe hideout, then wryly observed that his commitment to teach a class in Malta — an island in the Mediterranean Sea — was “a good idea.”
Roberts declined to answer questions about the decision, the Supreme Court’s most important ruling since it awarded the disputed 2000 presidential election to Bush over Al Gore. But he did say he hopes his court will be remembered “for protecting equal justice under the law.”
“There is no better legacy you can ask for,” he added.
Republican Party bigwigs would disagree with him there; strategists would likely disagree.
The decision handed the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, a major loss — but also an opportunity to rally anti-verdict support, GOP sources said.
The health care law remains rather unpopular, and Republicans — from Romney to several upstate GOP congressional candidates — may make a push for its repeal the heart of their campaigns.
“We’d rather be talking about the economy, but we have no choice but make Obamacare a centerpiece of our strategy,” said a GOP operative, noting the major parts of the reform take effect in 2014.“The only way we have a realistic chance to repeal this law is to have Romney in the White House.”
Romney’s backers are buying into the effort that a top GOP strategist called “do-or-die,” donating more than $4 million to his campaign in the day after the ruling. The Obama team claimed they raised more Thursday — but did not provide an amount.
With Glenn Blain
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