Is that lump in John Roberts' throat a noose?

President Bush's Supreme Court nominee John Roberts said recently that he "always got a lump in my throat whenever I walked up those marble steps."

Quoted in the Washington Post his tone was a little different in 1983:

The federal judiciary today benefits from an insulation from political pressure even as it usurps the role of the political branches.

And?

"Usurps" is a pretty strong word. I'd choose "reviews" instead.

Isn't that why the Supreme Court exists, to be the independent arbiter of politics, to keep the tendency toward a tyranny of the majority in check, to force Congress to adhere to the principles of the Constitution?

Feel the noose tightening John?