"Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court liberal?" reads the headline on David Savage's piece in the L.A. Times Sunday. Of course, Justice Thomas is not a "liberal." He is, however, "a steady advocate of limited federal power and respect for states' authority." His all-weather federalism sometimes produces results that please liberals.  Savage recounts the recent drug suit preemption case, Wyeth v. Levine, and the marijuana case of four years ago, Gonzales v. Raich.

The Constitution makes federal power supreme but limits it to those areas designated in the Constitution itself. Everything else is for the people of each State to decide for themselves. Fair-weather federalists cite this principle or abandon it, depending on whether they like the outcome it points to. All-weather federalists remain faithful to the principle, wherever it points.