Sen. Biden suggests scrapping hearings
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominees are so mum about the major legal issues at their Senate confirmation hearings that the hearings serve little purpose and should probably be abandoned, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden said Thursday.
"The system's kind of broken," said Biden, a member of the Judiciary Committee considering the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito.
"Nominees now, Democrat and Republican nominees, come before the United States Congress and resolve not to let the people know what they think about the important issues," such as a president's authority to go to war, said Biden. [...]
How about being a grown-up?
And hey, how about this corker down at the end--
"I take him at his word that he didn't know what the group [Concerned Alumni of Princeton, Ed.] stood for, but I'm required to ask him," Biden said. He said membership in the group raised questions about "how sensitive he is to the plight of women."
Yes, Joe, because the shame of it is that not all women can be magnificently attractive, intellectually and physically, beautiful young sophomore Princeton girls. And why not? Why, evil Republicans, that's why.Twit. Mountebank.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at January 12, 2006 08:21 AMThis mention of the Princeton group was on his resume 20 years ago, and when Alito was asked about it he claimed he didn't remember it. That's when Terrible Teddy (You Know, Mary Jo) Kennedy got all flustered. He thinks you're supposed to remember stuff like that from 20 years ago.
Can you remember details from your resume over 20 years ago? Ten years ago? Yesterday? People in Alito's position join all types of associations and clubs, especially if they're interested in climbing a career ladder.
Let's get Teddy on the stand and see if he remembers some things from 20 or 30 years ago: how "sensitive" were you to women in the 1980's?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, there Marc--you're not seriously saying you think senators should be held to the same standard they expect of others, are you!? If so, why, why, that's just CRAZY TALK!
As for Alito's misremembrance, who knows--he might vaguely recall it, or recall it as a way to move ahead, or not remember it, but in the end, it seemed to be a vanishingly tiny bit of fluff to try to hang your all-out assault on.
It's really pitiful--the Democrats stalled these hearings until now, worked themselves into a lather about how they were gonna pound him, and THIS is the best they can do? They're a bunch of lawyers, and they write laws, and THIS is all they can come up with? A good lawyer can argue his side OR your side equally well, and these maroons can't even get their OWN arguments cranked up, and wind up making themselves look even more childish, petulant, and out of touch than they did before.
Dang--that Karl Rove is a genius to orchestrate this.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at January 12, 2006 09:01 AMPeggy Noonan's piece thoroughly explores the genius of Joe Biden, such as it is...
Posted by: Patricia at January 13, 2006 09:57 AMI suppose, in reading her piece, that I can agree that he does indeed have a genius of some sort.
He is not a drained-dry Chivas Regal bottle like Ted, or simply a hollow human-shaped cylinder like Schumer--he is full to the brim with all sorts of things. Like a big bowl of alphabet soup, every once in a while with letters getting close enough together to make words, and his surprise at the phenomenon is endearing, really--like a kid who manages to see the wonder of the word "poop" spelled out right there in his spoon. "LOOK, MOMMY! IT SAYS POOP!"
Yes, dear. Now quit playing in your food.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at January 13, 2006 10:36 AM