Alito Confirmation Showdown Ahead

Posted on January 6, 2006

Expect the intensity over the nomination process of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court to increase over the weekend. The democrats are already beginning to spin their web of obstruction.
Despite Schumer’s past words that Judge Roberts would have the greater requirement because he didn’t have a clear track record, calling him a “stealth” nominee, he is now saying the opposite for Alito.

All judicial nominees are required to respond to senators’ queries, Schumer said in a speech in Washington. “The obligation, however, is greater for some nominees,” he said. “It is greater when a nominee has taken a clear position on a legal matter.”

Captain’s Quarters notes:

They complained about Roberts being a “stealth” candidate, devoid of any substantive judicial track record or public writings, and so demanded not just an overabundance of candor during his testimony before the committee but access to documents covered under attorney-client privilege. Now Democrats want to argue that the same holds true for a candidate with fifteen years of experience as a federal appellate jurist and a long track record of public writings.

Not that anyone expects Democrats to make sense or remain consistent in anything but knee-jerk antagonism for this administration, but one would think that the contradiction would be so apparent even to the slow-witted Democrats on Judiciary that such an argument would embarrass them. Apparently not.

Despite rhetoric, some democrats seem to have already made up their minds.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), hosting a morning roundtable with reporters, had nothing nice to say about Alito. “We here in the United States are not going to stand for monarchial tyranny,” he said, protesting Alito’s support for “unfettered, unlimited power of the executive.” He faulted Alito for belonging to a group that was “anti-black and also anti-women.” Kennedy wondered if “the average person is going to be able to get a fair shake” under Alito.

Briefly, Kennedy rewrote the outcome of the 1964 election. “This nominee was influenced by the Goldwater presidency,” he said. “The Goldwater battles of those times were the battles against the civil rights laws.” Only then did Kennedy acknowledge that “Judge Alito at that time was 14 years old.”

A questioner pointed out that Kennedy sounded like a sure bet against Alito. “I haven’t reached a final conclusion,” the senator demurred.

Next up: Schumer, who gave an afternoon speech to the liberal Center for American Progress. Schumer argued that Alito articulated “a radical theory of executive power” under which “we couldn’t have a 9/11 commission.” He further mentioned the judge’s “extreme views” and said one of his arguments “can’t be taken seriously by any serious person.” The senator judged that Alito “is in worse shape today than the day he was nominated.”

So is that a “no” vote? “No,” Schumer said. “We want to hear his views.”

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One Response to “Alito Confirmation Showdown Ahead”

Chris Malott on January 10th, 2006 8:27 am

Since it all comes down to abortion: I wonder how many Americans know that overturning Roe would NOT make abortion illegal, but simply send the issue back to the state legislatures where it belongs?

This is no doubt a fact that the Dems would like to keep secret.