[OXENinFLA]

So it's questions today.

Shall we take bet on how long into a Senator's time it take for them to ASK a question?

[Cboldt]

Here is another story that is floating today - discussed on C-SPAN momets ago ...

Fascinating Slate article by Emily Bazelon about Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Specifically, it focuses on his opinion as a Justice Department lawyer in the eighties in a case of the death of an unarmed 15-year-old black male.

In 1974, a Memphis police officer shot the boy in the back as he fled a crime scene with $10 and no weapon. The boy's father sued. Alito tried to get the Justice Department to argue that suspected criminals had no constitutional protection from being shot in the back by police, even if they posed absolutely no physical threat to anyone nearby. To their credit, the Justice Department decided not to argue against, and the Supreme Court ruled in the father's favor.

There's no reason to believe Alito's views have changed. When it comes to civil liberties, Alito even was outside the mainstream of the Reagan administration. That's scary.

http://www.columbiadems.org/blog/?p=551

[You Dirty Rats]

What time does the hearing start today?

[msnimje]

I would just like to get this off my chest.....

Specter is a disgusting a$$. It makes me sick to hear him reduce a human life to an obstacle to a woman getting a good job.

[Cboldt]

Specter comes out - and it is significant that at first, Alito said his conclusion was based on liberty clause of the Constitution, but just now, Alito added a comment thathe also found foundation in the 14th. Griswold was decided on multiple grounds, and the liberty clause foundation is the one less troublesome for those who despise judicial activism. Finding privacy in the 14th amendment is a stinker.

Listening for "superduper" or "super precedent" - so far Specter is avoiding those silly labels.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

If this line of questioning by Specter is to find out of Alito will rule against RoeVWade, then I wish Alito would just come out and say "Let's cut to the chase: you want to know if I would overturn RvW...."

[Lunatic Fringe]

I think Hatch and Graham's vocal intention to vote for Alito before he even answers any questions is just as inappropriate as Senators Kennedy and Schumer's vocal intention NOT to vote for him.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

And now a word from our real Sponsors of Free Speech

The Men and Women who serve,
and have served, our country
are the ones who make sure that
the Politicans and Judges are free to do their job.

We would not have a US Supreme Court
without the protection of the Military.

Politicans and Judges are safe
because of the Military who protect them.

TEST : Call your Senator or Congressman's office
AFTER 5 PM, or on the weekend.
IF you speak to an actual person, ask who's in charge today?

Now look up the phone number
of your local military base.
Call that number 24/7
and ask the live voice you get
to speak with the person in charge.

Send a Thank You while you enjoy your Freedom also.

[txrangerette]

mark

[Cboldt]

Off the subject of abortion, and into balance of powers between Congress and the President.

In particular, referring to judicial philosophy used to decide FISA in that regard, if it was to come up.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

Leahy is such a brat. He keeps posing the same out-of-context, what if, question to Alito. The man simply can't stand knowing that someone else has a brain and can figure out the dumb little traps he sets. Alito triumphs, and keeps referring him to the constitution for the answer.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

When the vote comes about for confirming Alito, all the anti-constitutional names voting against him, should be BOLDLY printed across the front page of all newspapers so everyone knows who is trying to destroy our nation.

[takenoprisoner]

Who said (paraphrased), "the constitution is a living document passed from generation to generation where it's principles are applied according to the times. "

[XR7]

All this hot air.
What the hell do you think the sleazebag Congressmen want to hear?
What is this really all about?
If Alito just came out and declared, unequivocally, that he favors giving women, carte blanche, the right to murder their unborn babies - he'd be confirmed in a New York heartbeat.
You know it.

[Cboldt]

Specter: "Let's not forget to start the clock."

Kennedy won't get any traction from the "broken promise" to recuse from Vanguard cases. Of course Alito remembers the case was related to Vanguard, if he forgot anything, it was the "promise."

Plus, Alito eventually did NOT rule on the case - he passed the case to another panel of judges. The only argument Teddy has is that Alito breaks substantive promises, and that argument doesn't wash with this fact pattern.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

fat drunken ted is almost too painful to listen to . . . have you know that he is repeating everything twice? We should start calling him Teddy Two-Times.

[YaYa123]

It's great fun to watch Kennedy read every single word he utters. Even more fun to see that he doesn't even listen to what Alito is responding, so anxious is Kennedy to get on to the next section of his script.

Kennedy's writers made sure a false accusation is included in every soundbite.

Oh how I wish Alito could respond to Kennedy by saying, "You know you aren't going to support me no matter how I answer your questions, so if you don't mind, I'll take my potty break while you're reading your false indictment of me."

[Cboldt]

Great opening by Grassley to set the point of Vanguard in clear context. If Senators had to keep those little promises, they'd be out ;-)

I also liked that Grassley opines that perhaps Alito is too deferential to precedent.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Actually that is 29 minutes allotted to each Senator for trashing the candidate in a spiteful,juvevillesque name calling put down diatribe, with one minute for asking some asinine question that the Senator hopes the candidate will appear inept in answering.

It's like a grammar school roast, with the class clowns roasting the honor student.

[MinuteGal]

I'm getting so sick of the eulogizing of Sandra Day O'Connor by the Dems. They are raising her to sainthood level.

She was a big nothing to them prior to the Bush assumption of the presidency. Now she's Portia, Esther and Joan of Arc combined and personified.

If she's watching these hearings, even she's got to be embarrassed at the schmaltz their putting out about her.

Biden is rambling on and on. Time to go scrub the bathroom till the next senator is up.

Leni

[Cboldt]

It'll be fun to `grep puzzled Biden` one the transcript comes out.

Puzzled Plugs Biden. Thanks for listening to me, I'll be here all weekend.