Samuel Alito ~ Senate Judiciary Hearing [LIVE THREAD] (Day-4)

Senate Judiciary ^ | 1-12-06 | Senate Judiciary

[OXENinFLA]

Day 4: Hearing Resumes

This morning, Senators will question Judge Alito during a third round. They will then go into a closed session, to review the FBI background investigation on the Supreme Court nominee. Outside witnesses may be called to testify this afternoon, as well as the American Bar Association, to discuss its recommendations.

THURS., 9:00AM ET, C-SPAN

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[syriacus]

They tried to make the case that having some of the most distinguished jurists in the nation testify on his behalf demonstrated how unqualified Judge Alito was.

Up is down and down is up. Just when it seems to me that the libs can't be any more outlandish, they exceed my expectations.

[CharlesWayneCT]

CBoldt posted in #2980 the link to a thread on the subject. The Congressional Research Service (not group) is a research organization set up by congress within the library of congress, to provide research services for congressmen.

It's purpose seems to be to allow individual representatives to do research that normally could only be afforded by committees which had staff. Kind of a "temp-staff" service, specializing in evaluating proposals and doing comparisons of laws.

I THINK that the reference to the "congressional research group" was meant to be this service, and not some other group. I remember reading in the past that this group has a collection of staffers of different party persuasions, and reps can choose the staff to do the inquiries, and that you tend to get out what you want -- kind of like "fixing" the intelligence.

They also tend to interpret everything in a way most favorable to congress in any debate over executive powers, which I guess you would expect from an arm of congress.

They do tend to lean liberal, and are used by a lot of 3rd-party liberal interest groups for information. I couldn't prove it, but I imagine these groups go to their liberal representatives that they have bought with campaign contributions, and ask them to request studies that the groups can then use to further their fundraising.

For example, this citation is from the web site of the "National Council for Science and the Environment":

The NLE currently posts 1544 CRS Reports on environmental and related topics. New & Updated Reports The Congressional Research Service (CRS), part of the Library of Congress, prepares its reports for the U.S. Congress. CRS products undergo review for accuracy and objectivity and contain nontechnical information that can be very useful to people interested in environmental policy. CRS does not itself provide these documents to the general public. Although CRS documents are prepared specifically for Congress and not widely distributed, their distribution is not protected by law or copyright

Here is a citation about their report on the NSA story, from commondreams:

WASHINGTON - January 6 - On December 18, 2005, Congressman Kucinich requested the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) prepare a memo on the legal authority of the president to conduct electronic surveillance without a warrant.

In the conclusion CRS states: "...it appears unlikely that a court would hold that Congress has expressly or impliedly authorized the NSA electronic surveillance operations here under discussion, and it would likewise appear that, to the extent that those surveillances fall within the definition of "electronic surveillance" within the meaning of FISA or any activity regulated under Title III, Congress intended to cover the entire field with these statutes." -CRS Report p. 44

As you can see from this summary, CRS did not actually rule on whether the program was "illegal", it merely said that the program did not meet the criteria of the FIS law. You can also see that this was requested by Kucinich. And you can realise once again how much your tax dollars are wasted for partisan political purposes -- your taxes go to pay for researchers to generate left-wing propaganda.

If Leahy said what he said on the street, he might be subject to a civil trial for slander, but not while he's talking from that chair in the congress. He definitely mislead the american people with his comments.

BTW, it was Kucinich who "drew" the conclusion that the president broke "the law", which I suppose might be technically accurate, since he may have acted contrary to this law (I'm not saying he did). His summary of the CRS report was:

Kucinich issued the following statement on the CRS report: "The President broke the law. That's the definitive finding of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), nonpartisan experts. Congress did not authorize the warrantless wiretaps of Americans and the law doesn't permit the President to sidestep Congress."

[CharlesWayneCT]

Another case of wasted taxpayer dollars. Especially since even if it came back that he was innocent (which wasn't going to happen here, but there HAVE been cases where DNA has shown the innocence of people on death row) it wouldn't have mattered, since he was already dead.

Of course, the liberals here in VA were all very sad that we hadn't put to death an innocent man.

I imagine there are a few guys in prison for life who are innocent, who wish the "compassionate" democrat governor who wants to run for President (Mark Warner) hadn't wasted the tax money checking THIS DNA instead of checking the DNA in THEIR cases.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"Ask John Anderson about 1980 and what happens when a Republican Establishment type trys to run as a third party."

I know where you are coming from on this. However, this is not 1980 and the Right and Left are more defined. The middle of the road voters are faced with a "I want a strong defense, religion as well as more social awareness candidate.

If you think about it, that is where Hillary is trying to position herself and where people like McCain and Guiliani already are. What is scary is that you get a McCain, who can generate a lot of cash to do this and you have Hillary in the White House in 08.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

It's utterly absurd.

These nitwits expect us to believe that a bunch of mewling, third-rate liberal hacks should be given equal standing with some of the most admired judges-of varying philosophies and political perspectives-in the nation.

When will these sock puppets realize that the rest of the country is not as mind-bogglingly obtuse and gullible as the people who routinely elect and re-elect them?

[Seattle Conservative]

Oh yes, no media bias at all ---- blech!

I did flip back and watched all of the so called "relatively boring" testamonies. I found them rather interesting. Some of the judges made it clear they were Dims - the last one even 'far left' - course DiFi was the only Dim I saw in the room listening, which I found totally pathetic. Bet they'll all be there when their witnesses are there today. My guess is that Charles will find ones today much more 'exciting' than I will (unless I get really ticked at them and my BP goes up). I suspect if they try to get away w anything Sessions, Cornyn, Hatch, et al will put them back in their places.

[eyespysomething]

HILARIOUS!!

http://www.radioblogger.com/

Tuesday January 10
Senator Biden also woke up this morning and picked "puzzled" as his word of the day. Here's just how puzzled he was during his time with Judge Alito today:

MP3 of Biden puzzled at hearing on the 10th

http://www.radioblogger.com/images/01-10bidenpuzzled.mp3

[CharlesWayneCT]

Nothing Specter can do if the dems ask to hold over. The dems will suffer nothing from doing so, every dem on the committee is well-protected in their states and supported by lefties who would cheer them.

The only thing that would stop them would be their own humanity -- their own character and sense of what is right, their own belief that their word means something.

Anybody want to take bets on how THAT will come out? I will say that sometimes, democrat senators DO act out of conscience and character, but I don't think they let those senators on this committee.

[sageb1]

Kucinich headlines Muslim fund-raiser CAIR group tied to Hamas, Islamist goals

[sageb1]

and

Muslims for Kucinich

[Dolphy]

and it would likewise appear that, to the extent that those surveillances fall within the definition of "electronic surveillance" within the meaning of FISA or any activity regulated under Title III, Congress intended to cover the entire field with these statutes."

Thank you very much for the information and ping. It seems to me, their political leaning aside, that without the full facts this group cannot definitely conclude anything.

[1066AD]

Someone over at Lucianne, post #30, saying that vote is postponed for a week .

[OXENinFLA]

Samuel Alito ~ Senate Judiciary Hearing [LIVE THREAD] (Day-5)

Sorry, I didn't put this one in Breaking cause I don't think there's going to be much going on.

[puroresu]

This whole CAP deal is phony. The Rats are depicting CAP as some kind of KKK group, but it was really just a concerned alumni group opposed to some of the changes taking place at Princeton in the 70's. The fact that William Rusher of National Review was involved proves this was no lunatic organization. Dinesh D'Souza, who is from India, was one of the writers for their magazine. So much for the racism charge.

Apparently some CAP members did express concern over Princeton going coed. You know, I really have no problem with that. Single sex institutions are fine with me (as are coed institutions). No one ever reviles Wellesley College for being female, or demands that Wellesley grad Hillary Clinton denounce the school's "sexually exclusionary policies". No doubt some of the Princeton alumni liked the old all-male Princeton. So what if they did? Others apparently didn't mind Princeton becoming coed, but disliked the flurry of feminist course listings, feminist whining, and constant demands for male clubs to admit women (even as the campus feminists were forming their own exclusively female clubs).

The racism charge is based on CAP's opposition to affirmative action and quotas. They had no objection to racial minorities coming there if they got in by the same standards as everyone else.

CAP also opposed the hostility to the military that had manifested itself at Princeton with the banning of ROTC on campus. And they opposed the growing leftist tilt of the school in general.

A few articles in their magazine might sound inflammatory but these were written by college kids and were meant to be sarcastic (such as the one talking about women and minorities not knowing their place, etc.).

All this whining by the RATs over this is much ado about nothing, especially coming from a guy like Ted Kennedy who's a misogynistic elitist who lives in an all white ritzy neighborhood and who got into Harvard because of his family's political clout.

[YaYa123]

Look forward to the democrat senators (like Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer) rehashing the spew coming from these anti-Alito panel members, from the floor of the Senate.


I'm betting when the Alito vote comes before the full Senate, Republican senators will be every bit as well prepared as they have been in the hearings, to make mincemeat of the democrats' distorted and hateful attacks.

[IntheHillsGolden]

Go Sammy! We are so very proud of you.

There is nothing to stop you from approval. See you on the High Bench very sooooooon.

Cheers.

Meanwhile, Theodore Kennedy and Joe Biden should just quit, retire and get out of the way. They have proved their dire inconsequence, ineffectiveness and irrelevance once AGAIN. Utter baffoons. If I was a demorat, I'd be very very
concerned about the unprecious dem party. They are seriously lost and their party is fragmented; beyond repair, in my opinion.

Pretty damn obvious opinion, too. Bu-Bye dems. Get outta the way.......we have a Country to to keep together.

[YaYa123]

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR


Once again, Leahy has said, "we don't know anything about how Alito was questioned by the administration when they were considering his nomination. He was questioned by the likes of Karl Rove and Scooter Livvy....blah blah blah.


When oh when will one of the Republicans make an equally snide comment about the Democrat who would make such an unfair and inappropriate comment. How dare those slugs imply that Rove or Livvy were unworthy of participating in the nomination process!!!!! And that their comments go unanswered, allowed to go unchallenged, is simply maddening!

[YaYa123]

For all you cubicle bound, Senator Hatch is still "withholding his time" so as to be able to respond after Kennedy speaks.

(I take back every comment I ever made about Hatch wearing pink panties. He's doing a fine job of sheparding Alito's nomination through this hearing. as are all the other republican senators.)


And God help America as long as communist, hate filled black professors like Ronald Sullivan are Yale law professors!!!!

[stocksthatgoup]

time to turn the page

[stocksthatgoup]

Cross your legs baby