Posted on 01/11/2006 6:02:49 AM PST by prairiebreeze
(CNSNews.com) -- "Judge Alito Proves a Powerful Match for Senate Questioners," read the headline of a "news analysis" piece in Wednesday's New York Times.
The report described Alito as an "elusive target" for Senate Democrats who are determined to paint him as an extremist. "For nearly eight hours, Judge Alito was placid, monochromatic and, it seemed, mostly untouchable," the New York Times opined.
The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday compared Democrats on the Judiciary Committee to a "guerilla army searching for a weak point in a heavily guarded fortress...as they challenged Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. at his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing."
The L.A. Times described Alito as "contained and controlled...never seeming to anger and only rarely displaying flashes of humor," and the newspaper admitted, "He demonstrated an encyclopedic knowledge of the cases he had decided on the 3rd Circuit, fielding detailed questions on dozens of them without referring to notes."
The Associated Press reported that "Democrats appeared unable to stop the nomination, and seemed increasingly unlikely to mount a filibuster in the full Senate."
A Washington Post's news analysis described Alito as "low key" but "short on specifics." His replies didn't rock the status quo, the headline announced.
USA Today said Judge Alito "was effective and did not hit any bumps as he headed toward confirmation to succeed the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor."
Even a blog on the Planned Parenthood of America website wondered, "Where, oh, where is the drama in these hearings? Except for Dianne Feinstein's rally late today, it's like watching a tetherball tournament. Between the speech-making, his artful dodging, and the questions that not even Clarence Thomas could have messed up, I don't know how we're going to learn what he really thinks," the Planned Parenthood blogger wrote.
The Democratic National Committee posed the question, "Can We Trust Judge Sam Alito?" The DNC website said, "Judge Alito almost gives the impression of a man who will say anything he can in a job interview to get that job."
Likewise, the liberal interest group, Alliance for Justice, wondered, '"What won't Judge Alito say when he's trying to get a job?" Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron described Alito as "evasive," waffling, and said the American people "deserve a fuller, more forthright discussion of Judge Alito's record and views."
But Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a Republican supporter of Judge Alito, commented, ''There's a growing sense of inevitability that he will, in fact, be voted favorably out of the committee and confirmed."
A good collection of how the liberal media is whining or becoming resigned about Alito's confirmation. Haaaa!!
Ping
Some of us kept trying to tell the Nervous Nellies around here that a constitutionalist judge could be confirmed. There were those who said we needed a Miers type to keep from losing. In truth, any constitutionalist judge who looks decent (an easy accomplishment) and can outperform the Democrats intellectually (a given) can be confirmed in a 55-45 GOP Senate. Brown, Owen, or any of the other supposed lightning rods would have also been confirmed. The public simply will not tolerate the Democrats' abuse as long as our side fights back.
Well, lets look at the NYT at least they can watch the confirmations on tv so they don't have to have fake travel and dinner receipts from fake reporters for this event.
Next week, back to the fake stories.
If that had been the general consensus on the confirmation standards in the 90's we wouldn't have Darth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court today.
This is toooo funny!
Yep! If Miers had gone forward, she might have been confirmed, but she wouldn't have made a good impression since she doesn't have any grounding in constitutional law. The Rats could have made her stumble. Once on the court, she might have been okay, but then again she might have charged to the left. At best, she'd be concurring with constitutionalist rulings, while not being an intellectual force. But given her record of flip-flopping I'd bet on her becoming another O'Connor.
Oh yeah. I think the Dems knew this goin' in.
What nonsense! The President has already picked Alito for the job, it's not the Senate or dims perogative to 'interview' him like they are hiring him.
Indeed...the fact that they made speeches rather than questioned him is one tipoff.
*** "Does anyone remember the controversy about Harriett Miers? How many Bush-bots did you hear say that we needed a "stealth" nominee because a more open conservative would not make it?" ***
Did you listen to his answers to the questions?
He is not going in there and supporting devout conservatism, he is coming off as a former conservative who still holds firm on certain principles, but not as firmly as he used to.
He acknowledged a "right to privacy", the "authority of the court to re-interpret the constitution", and gave strong authority to precedent. In other words, he gave the Dems what they want.
I am hoping that he is being soft enough to get approved, then comes back to being a real conservative.
In other words, a stealth conservative.
Oh, Okay. Let me see if I have this right. Even though Alito has been an open and vocal conservative for decades, unlike Miers, because Alito is smart enough to blow some smoke in the Lefty Democrat Senators faces at his confirmation hearing, he is suddenly a "stealth conservative" or maybe even has taken a sharp Left turn?
Get real, please.
LOL, good one. And a valid point but we also know that what applies to RATS one day doesn't have to apply the next.
I was also just thinking about how the Miers fans were saying that intellect above a pretty low threshold doesn't matter, that any lawyer or in fact anyone who has read the Constitution could do that job...and thus that anyone who has read the Constitution would be able to state our case intelligently and get by.
Does anyone seriously believe that Miers performance would have been as steady, serious and unflappable as our man Alito?
Thank goodness that the President saw the light and got her out and Alito in! And thank goodness for the scores who stood up and said no to Miers....including all those who did so here at FR!!!
"The DNC website said, "Judge Alito almost gives the impression of a man who will say anything he can in a job interview to get that job."
Well, what do they expect. When consistently confronted with a lynch mob Democrat Judical Committee, it would only be prudent to hide.
Amen, Brother! Amen!
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