Posted on 01/11/2006 7:24:25 PM PST by SmithL
A group cleverly called People for the Alito Way says the Associated Press wrongly characterized its an episode at Samuel Alito's hearing today that left his wife in tears.
The AP story, which followed an exclusive from the Drudge Report, placed the blame on a Republican senator rather than committee Democrats -- a fact the conservative group says is just plain wrong.
After taking a steady beating from Senate Democrats today, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) offered an apology to Alito. (Read the full transcript.)
"Judge Alito, I am sorry that you've had to go through this," Graham said. "I am sorry that your family has had to sit here and listen to this."
Alito's wife, Martha-Ann Bomgardner, at this point had begun to choke up. She exited the hearing room and returned after a break holding her husband's hand.
But, according to the AP's account, it was a comment Graham made moments earlier that triggered Bomgardner's emotions.
"And really what I would look at to believe you're not -- and I'm going to be very honest with you -- is: How have you lived your life? Are you really a closet bigot?" Graham asked rhetorically.
The AP story reports:
"Martha-Ann Bomgardner, who had sat behind her husband for hours of questioning over several days, left as her husband was being questioned by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
"'Are you really a closet bigot?' Graham asked Alito. The nominee said no, and Graham said, "No sir, you’re not."
Commenting on the AP story, Coalition for a Fair Judiciary President Kay Daly said: “Mrs. Alito has shown grace under pressure after months of abuse at the hands of well-funded, left wing organizations and their Democratic minions on the Senate Judiciary Committee,” said Kay Daly. For the Associated Press to misrepresent these events in an attempt to smear Republican Senator Lindsey Graham sets a new low in the already subterranean level of journalistic standards on display in Judge Alito’s confirmation process.”
Mr. Bluey is editor of Human Events Online.
Amen! God you'd think these idiots would realize how disgustingly arrogant they look to the American people. It's time to get some real people in there!
"If Graham hadn't been grandstanding,..."
Perhaps your dislike of Graham is clouding your assessment of what occurred..
Thanks for the great post! You owe me a new keyboard!
;-)
Yeah, forgot about that... I didn't watch the last debate.
I remember that. VP Cheney was elegant in his restraint, which made Edwards look like a childish boor.
You deny that Graham and McCain are grandstanders? You aren't watching the same Sunday talk shows that I do.
Ping for a look at how Associated Press has reported the story from Drudge
I like the way you think.......I told my hubby that if we were ever in that situation that he better give me the credit card and send me to the mall, because, and he knows I would never be able to keep my mouth shut..
And who would have thought Lindsay would have mentioned anything about closets?
"Senator, if you ever say anything about my family again, I will personally kick the **** out of you."
And I don't even have a daughter.
Lindsey should be wary of closet references.
BTW, Fox News is also misrepresenting the incident.
Obvious to anyone what finally reduced Mrs. Alito to an understandable puddle of tears. I'm the same way....I can get through really difficult events, personal loss, sadness, fright, you name it, without crying. But let someone offer me empathetic kind words or sympathy, and I break down, just like Mrs. Alito did today.
Mrs. Alito did not break down until Senator Lindsey began his apology, so technically AP reported the story correctly. I can't believe AP intentionally tried to blame Lindsey for Mrs. Alito's breakdown, it's just another example of poor reporting and bad writing.
Senator Lindsey wasn't apologizing for his own nastiness. He was apologizing for the horrible Democrats' despicable treatment of Judge Alito, and I think that is clear to readers.
Lindsey Graham is an idiot. He should have thought about
the consequences of his ill-concieved remarks before letting fly.
"You deny that Graham and McCain are grandstanders?"
I haven't denied anything..You blame Graham for something he didn't do and then try to change the subject. Tsk, tsk..
Normally I would agree with you CD...but they took Grahams statement out of context...he proceeded to read statements from fellow workers praising Alito and shocked that anyone considered he was a racists....as always the MSM has left most of the report on the editing room floor....
I watched about a half hour of it and I have to admit If I had sat there for hours listening to the stupidity of the Dems and their posturing and BS I would have cried too.
By the way Kennedy is without doubt one low obnoxious POS.
but we all knew that before today.
Read what he said a bit more closely...
Thanks .. emailing this one out .. with a few comments of my own
THEY WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS!
I remember "Braveheart" Kennedy's televised speech to the nation in 1969 after Chappaquiddick. As I recall, it consisted of the following: 1) hiding behind his dead brothers, with repeated references to them; 2) talking about some "awful curse" that had befallen his family (without expiaining how it affected his driving); 3) touting his own athleticism and heroism (he dove "repeatedly" to find Miss Kopechne until exhausted; a WNEW cameraman who had been on the Olympic swim team tried to replicate his swim and could not). What the senator didn't mention was: 1) how he appeared totally nonchalant to other guests at his Edgartown hotel the next morning until he picked up the morning paper containing news of the accident; 2) how he then rushed off and was seen calling his lawyer immediately thereafter on the local pay phone, rather than racing off to the scene of the tragedy; 3) how he never really took responsibility for a bizarre accident that occurred on a bridge well-known to him. Guess this isn't an appropriate topic for someone so quick to imagine and proclaim minor foibles in others.
It was good cop/bad cop. The bad cop beats away at you, and when the good cop shows sympathy, you have an emotional break and give up the info. She had seen her husband get insulted and hit by the Democrats all day, and when a senator came to his defense and spoke of him in glowing, it all came out. It would be really hard to see your spouse take the kind of abuse that he has been getting for three days.
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