Alito’s “Coaches” May Have Violated Senate Ethics Code … Not that this complaint will get us anywhere, but it’s good to note the Village Voice piece by James Ridgeway. (I mean, so what if Lindsey Graham let it out that he’s gonna vote for Alito no matter what? What’s the big deal? Senate rules — ‘specially that quaint Rule 37 in the Senate Ethics Manual — are sooo 20th century.)
“You might ask yourself: How is it that a reporter can re-cap Tuesday’s hearings in a story about the Democratic performance, and not mention either Russ Feingold or Dianne Feinstein?,” asks Reddhedd at FireDogLake blog? “Because the story appears in the WaPo. Wankers.” (Hey, Redd, who you callin’ wankers?)
P.S. Firedoglake‘s ReddHedd will be on Air America’s Majority Report tonight with Sam and Janeane, “I’m scheduled for around 7:50 pm ET.”
If you read today’s headlines — and only if you’re tough — you’d think Alito has the spectre of Specter’s “minuet” more pre-determined than “Dancing with the Stars” (where at least the PEOPLE at home can call up, and register a vote!)!:
- “The gang that couldn’t question straight,” Salon: “[F]or all [the eight Democrats on the Judiciary] accomplished politically, they might as well have grilled frankfurters. With the clock ticking, the committee Democrats failed to advance any major new lines of argument or prompt any damaging admissions … phrasing the query so artlessly that even the cast of Teletubbies would not have been fooled. Joe Biden — one of the three Democrats on the committee who has spent half his life in the cave of winds known as the Senate – twice called Alito ‘a man of integrity’. …” (That pissed me off too! Cut the gravy! Give us the beef!)
- “Judge Alito Proves a Powerful Match for Senate Questioners,” NYT
- “Alito: No president above law,” Reuters (Yup, that really captures the essence of the executive power argument. (snark))
- “Alito Replies Don’t Rock Status Quo,” WaPo
- “But Enough About You, Judge; Let’s Hear What I Have to Say,” NYT
- “For Democrats, A Most Tender Roast of Alito,” WaPo: “It was beginning to look as if the Democrats had shown up to a knife fight without a knife yesterday …”
You get the drift. But, it’s depressing to see “Where’s the Fire?,” from Mustang Bobby of Bark Bark Woof Woof blog: “I had no idea that the Democrats were going to be such wussies about questioning Judge Samuel Alito.”
The Republicans are coming off in this little minuet as smug and smarmy; not a bad ploy when a bunch of your colleagues are about to go down for influence-peddling. Now if only the Democrats would stop being afraid of holding the judge accountable for his writings and worrying that they’ll come off as “mean.” When you’re about to put a man on the Supreme Court for the rest of his life, you can take the risk of incurring the wrath of Fox News.
Ride ’em, Mustang Bobby. Ride ’em.
Wolfie just told Chuckie Schumer that it’s a done deal. Schumer replied that the GOP marches in lockstep and it’s hard to deal with that … “it’s amazing how everyone in the media goes along with this …” Give him hell, Chuckie!
I’m confused. Those images look like very good frogs and they are right beside the very bad frog (after Rove). Are you saying that there are good frogs AND bad frogs?
I have only two opinions on Scalito/Bork-Alito/Thomas-Alito. He is very dull and his family need to go on the show “What Not To Wear.”
the frogs just set apart sections …
wow, you’d think that someone would have talked to his wife about what to wear … that outfit yesterday — my old TV has gone black and white … what colors is she wearing today?
I love the frogs, I just hope they are good frogs. 😉
What she is wearing?
It looks like a very textured retro shag rug.
Go right to the top, and tell ’em “No” to Alito’s confirmation:
Phone, fax, and email addresses for the Judiciary Committee.
Here’s another “Veto Alito” tool:
Write a letter to the editor of your local paper and contact your congress critters — all with one click.
People for the American Way’s petition has collected over 60,000 signatures to send to the Senate:
Save the Court Petition
Focusing on the bloviating Biden.
Biden: Worst. Questioner. Ever.
Sleep deprivation is epidemic in the US, and is the cause of countless automobile and workplace accidents.
These hearings are invaluable in helping millions of Americans to correct this problem without resorting to drugs.
Ducky, that’s violent of you!
(btw, true confession: I love the Dancing with the Stars show … i like the music, the dancing … altho I’m very sad that the ESPN sportscaster lost in the first round because he was hysterically funny.)
Instead of these eternal soporific marathon Xtreme drone cagefights, why not have all the nominees for everything on at once, and have each one draw names to see with which senator he or she will dance.
Or ice skate. There’s a new one now, not sure if it is on yet, but it’s coming – Skate with Celebrities.
Why not Skate with Senators?
“Judge Alito has claimed to have successfully performed the triple axel many times during his Princeton days, but when we come back, we’ll see if he can do it when spun out onto the ice from the plump but capable arms of Senator Edward Kennedy, unusually vivacious today in a nose-red leotard specially designed for him by Pacific Sunwear, and accented with maribou plumes said to have been a “good luck” gift to the Senator from Oxana Bayul herself!”