Alito Hearings

I caught a little of it this afternoon while at work, am watching it now. I agree, he has done very well, and I must add that the Republican members of the committee have made very clear what an outstanding nominee Alito is. The questions they have asked have hopefully made clear to the interested public that the extremists in this debate are the liberals and Democrats who oppose him. I believe and hope (for Roberts it's still mostly hope but I'm willing to give him a chance, am waiting to see how he turns out) that Alito will turn out to be an excellent justice. My guess is that he will turn out to be somewhere between Rehnquist and Scalia, though closer to Rehnquist.

 

He stated that he joined simply to be part of a group defending ROTC's right to have a presence on campus. He didn't know of the anciliary positions of the group and attended few, if any meetings.

 

Sure, if you define "extremist" as those who oppose the Conservative-Republican agenda.

 

You mean our moderate, middle of the road, responsible, Constitutional agenda that only an extremist could oppose?

 

There is a thread going on about this in the poll forum.

 

He's making democrats look like malicious buffoons.

The democrats are intellectually overmatched.

 

Yep, I heard Rush Limbaugh say that second sentence yesterday and today.

BiR (out in Kansas City)

 

I respect your opinion, FTR: although I strongly disagree with your assessment of him.

Where are you, by the way? I had to make a quick trip to Kansas City at the very last minute.

Wishing God's Blessings on you and yours,
BiR

 

This is on Fox on the internet right now and I think answers the allegations made against Alito:

"It was a traditional, conservative mainstream organization, the purpose of which was to give alumni of Princeton a voice in a very, very liberal university administration, and to make sure that R-O-T-C, Reserve Officers Training Corps…would come back to Princeton and stay there," said FOX News legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano, a former board member of CAP.

Alito, who graduated in 1972, repeatedly told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he could not remember ever signing up with CAP, and said the only reason he would have joined was because of his participation in ROTC. Princeton, like many American universities at the time, had grown hostile toward the military's presence on campus amid turmoil stemming from the Vietnam War. The university's ROTC offices were firebombed during Alito's senior year, and he was forced to finish training at another school.

Alito denied to the senators that he knew anything about the "anti-women and anti-black" leanings of CAP's leadership and denounced such thinking.

"I disavow them. I deplore them. They represent things that I have always stood against and I can't express too strongly," Alito responded to questioning.

"I disagree with all of that. I would never endorse it. I never have endorsed it. Had I thought that that's what this organization stood for I would never associate myself with it in any way," Alito told Kennedy after the senator read aloud excerpts from the 1983 essay, further defending himself by reminding Kennedy of his humble background as the son of immigrants.

He added that he purposely avoided affiliation with Princeton's infamous "eating clubs," which have an elitist reputation and did not admit women during Alito's undergraduate years.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181385,00.html

 

BiR,

I respect your opinion, FTR: although I strongly disagree with your assessment of him.

As I greatly respect yours, BiR. What do you think of Alito? Too conservative? Not as conservative as many of us hope?

Where are you, by the way? I had to make a quick trip to Kansas City at the very last minute.

Back home in Alabama. 'Sorry I missed you in Va. this past weekend. This was my last regular drill weekend there but my best friend/college roommate and his family live in Yorktown and I'll still be visiting there often, and going through Richmond on the way.

Take care, my friend.

FTR

 

Back then, it probably wasn't considered "extreme."

 

I submit this:

http://www.users.bigpond.com/smartboard/pc.htm

George Orwell in his book 1984, referred to it as Newspeak.

 

Ken,

I know that we cultural conservatives give Senator Specter a hard time but I give him kudos for standing up to Senator Kennedy today.

Absolutely agreed. I was positively tickled to watch the exchange a few minutes ago! Yes, I too was proud of Specter (as I was also proud of his performance in the Clarence Thomas hearings, BTW).

Also, I think that these hearings should have only one round of questioning. The second round just goes over the same ground and the senators get heated toward each other.

I'm kinda torn. I enjoy watching the hearings, but I think you're right, that they are going over the same stuff in the second round.

BTW, am curious what you think of Biden? I disagree with him on probably every issue I can imagine but I've usually been impressed with his tone and collegiality, a trait I greatly value in debate involving ladies and gentlemen.

 

Yes, and look who was doing the major questioning on this issue. I'd like to revisit Ted Kennedy's issues from a number of years ago at Chappiquidick. I know, he was young.

 

Ken,

Same here and even, as I recall, during the Clarence Thomas hearings.

BTW, I know we had some good wrestling matches over the Miers nomination, but am curious what you think of Alito. Scalito? More moderate?

Also, I heard earlier that Alito's wife walked out in tears when one of the Senators asked him if he is a closet bigot. Have you seen it in this evening's replay? I'm guessing it was during Kennedy's questioning but I caught most of that, I think.