BREAKING: Specter Stonewalls on Concerned Alumni of Princeton Docs
BREAKING: Specter Stonewalls on Concerned Alumni of Princeton Docs
Just now, Sen. Kennedy requested that Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter issue a subpoena to the Library of Congress for documents related to the right-wing group Concerned Alumni of Princeton, of which Alito was a member. The documents contain “clipping files, background information, correspondence and memoranda, financial records, fund-raising material, lists of supporters, minutes of meetings, issues and other items.” The documents are critical because Alito now claims he can’t remember anything about his involvement with the group.
Specter refused to rule on the request, claiming it’s the first time the request had even been made. Actually, Sen. Kennedy sent a letter on December 22 making the request:
It is likely that a formal request for access directly from you on behalf of the Committee would be received with more cooperation than the CRS has received so far, and we urge you to make such a request as soon as possible.
The letter was also reported widely by the Associated Press.
When Kennedy noted that he had sent the letter, Specter replied that there is a big difference between “sending” a letter and someone “receiving” it. He then banged his gavel loudly.
UPDATE: Sen. Kennedy just introduced Specter’s reply to his December 22 letter into the record. So there is proof that Specter did get the letter.
UPDATE II — VIDEO: We’ve got the video of the heated exchange. Watch it in Quicktime streaming here.
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It was a pretty hot conversation. I want to see the docs now, for sure.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:03 pmI don’t think Specter stonewalled. He was trying to save face, though.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:04 pmI hate to post again, but Grassly and Hatch are f*cking stooges. What a joke.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:07 pmTotally! Bring ‘em On!
Why is that these right wing judges all belonged to some nutjob group in college and then try to deny it later?
He was really proud of it back in ‘85! Not so proud now that America won’t stand for that kind of bigotry!
January 11th, 2006 at 1:08 pmThese documents seem on the surface to be a trivial matter…There must be something to them… it never surprises me when the “bombshell” lies in something that seems to be of little importance…I look for a big fight from all sides over these documents…
January 11th, 2006 at 1:08 pmWow, I wonder if that bitch slap left a red hand print on Specters face. Which also begs the question, did specter turn the other cheek, like Jesus would have?
January 11th, 2006 at 1:08 pmI missed it, Spudge! Damn! I’m not near a radio!
January 11th, 2006 at 1:11 pmJust goes to show how absolutely fair Arlen has been all along doesn’t it. Impeach the bastards while we still have a country left.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:11 pmArlen’s website is currently down….that asshole is trying to hide information on a known/acting racist and misogynist so that he can put his PARTY BEFORE COUNTRY in charge of the most powerfuk court in the land. UNBELIEVABLE!
January 11th, 2006 at 1:14 pmcorrection….’powerful’….sorry about the spelling…I am bit pissed off.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:15 pmJudd,
We need the video of Kennedy laying the smack down with Specters reply. I know this stuff is going on as I type and I don’t mean to rush you, but please please please post that video as well. This CAP stuff is HUGE!!!!
Thanks.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:22 pma little off topic, but regarding these “hearings”:
why is everyone focusing on abortion when that was part of how the dems lost recent elections…why is not the primal focus on: Alito telling Congress that he would not sit in on Vanguard cases, then after the fact, sitting on those very cases and not denying it, but trying to justify it and rationalize it…he lied, he went back on his word to congress, and he doesn’t see a problem with it…as a direct result, how can he be trusted to sit on the highest court, NEXT NOMINEE
January 11th, 2006 at 1:24 pmSo at worst, Alito is a lying bigot. At best, he is an opportunistic resume padder!!
January 11th, 2006 at 1:24 pmTo be fair, Kennedy introduced the response by Spector’s staff, not by Spector himself. It’s entirely possible that the chairman is clueless about what’s going on in his office (and probably senile to boot), and not necessarily a liar.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:28 pmDutchess,
I guess lying and resume padding is just to inconsequential, with this current administration leading countries into fake wars, and presidents (and govoners) ignoring laws since they are in a top post, what’s a little fluff to a resume, many people have done it (though they never ran for public office or appointment)
here are some stats from Congress (not including resume fluff):
36 have been accused of spousal abuse
January 11th, 2006 at 1:33 pm7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71, repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits. and
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year
Looks like the left’s witch hunt is backfiring. Wake me when Alito is on the Court and Ginsburg kicks off.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:34 pmGrassly and Hatch are f*cking stooges
Call it typecasting, but IMO they’re two of the more likely candidates for Ned Beatty’s role in the remake of Deliverance. They’ll have to beat Cheney and Rove first, however, and that won’t be easy.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:34 pmOoh, did you “bang your gavel,” luv? Cheeky!
January 11th, 2006 at 1:34 pmGood grief, what’s the POINT of being “fair,” saying Spector may not be a liar??? I honestly can’t believe this.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:36 pmOnly a liberal could get this excited over a hearing where all parties know going in how each member will vote. You people need a life. Try getting out a little more.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:36 pm#18 - does it make you feel better to say things like that. The only people taking it from behind will be you folks when Bush get two more Court appointments with a GOP senate. Then, you really will be squealing.!!!
January 11th, 2006 at 1:38 pmrc,
Considering that you are posting here or even care what we think, points the finger right back at you. You get a life and get out more.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:39 pmThe process has really broken down when Specter can say, “Well, I’m the chairman and I do what I want! So nah nah nah.”
January 11th, 2006 at 1:45 pmSmack dat azz, SPUDGE!!! I guess rc didn’t learn from the azz whoopin’ that Arlen just received???
Hahahahahahahaha
January 11th, 2006 at 1:46 pmSpudge_boy
I realize that “Kennedy laying the smack down with Specters reply” is possibly the highlight of your life and you probably will have an erection over it the rest of the week, but I was just pointing out that this entire process is a joke. Try saying it with me: Justice Samuel Alito. Justice Samuel Alito. Hope you get used to it.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:47 pmDid Alito LIE? That is a valid question. He is under oath. No one likes lying under oath - RIGHT?
Did he LIE? There is now evidence that he may have. Of COURSE that is important, and obviously would constitute “extraordinary circumstances” if demonstrated. And of COURSE the Committee must fully explore it.
Thank you, Senator Kennedy.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:47 pmChris in Az. Is this laundry list your provide an attempt to excuse Specter’s stonewalling, or Alito’s duplicity?
Isn’t this duplicity and stonewalling lay right at the heart of what has corroded the Republican party? Isn’t Alito’s duplicity the very essense of “Rove/Dubya-ism?”
“If you can’t get that job, lie and lie bigger if necessary, pad your resume’, obfuscate, plagurize, don’t worry our guys will cover for you!”
Alito does not deserve to be on the court if the bigs have to stonewall and hide this man’s past, period!
Reject if possible, filibuster if necessary.
America deserves better.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:48 pmGrassly and Hatch are f*cking stooges
In the popular political venacular, they are Constitutional “girly men.” But then the conservative political movement in the USA was for the Constitution before they were against it.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:51 pmBoilerman,
January 11th, 2006 at 1:53 pmYes this country deserves much better, my point is that resume padding will never get any play with the culture of corruption is so deep and wide spread, resume padding won’t get you any time in the pen, these guys examing alito are the real crooks, they have done the real time, and probably have the tattoos to prove it….my point earlier was to make the GOP say they are supporting a liar who goes back on his word, and lies to congress not someone “whose personal beliefs in abortion are not reflected on the bench since he has never regulated from the bench” (which is bullshit, but harder to prove)
That comment by Chris in AZ about Congress members and crimes is an on-going canard.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/congress.htm
January 11th, 2006 at 1:53 pmAt least Sen. Specter didn’t gavel, get up and leave like that clown, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Sen. Specter allowed Sen. Kennedy to sprinkle a little baby powder on his hand before he smacked Specter across the face.
January 11th, 2006 at 1:54 pmYou people are morons. Specter is your only hope of derailing me. If you piss on him, he’ll clearly side wiht the GOP and confirm me to the Court.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:00 pmSen. Specter as a young lawyer helped to cover-up the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, when he worked for the Warren Commission, so there is bad blood between him and Sen. Ted Kennedy!
As for Judge Alito: Specter will do everything he can to help him and hide important documents as well!
The Confirmation Hearing is just a SHAM anyways!
January 11th, 2006 at 2:00 pmChris - Re moral turpitude in congress: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/congress.htm
January 11th, 2006 at 2:01 pmAny good lawyer knows what’s in evidence before it’s introduced. Can’t wait till the Sh** hits the fan!
January 11th, 2006 at 2:02 pmApparently this C.A.P. group is anti-women, anti-black/minorities, and was proudly so twenty years ago. I doubt Alito could have “forgotten” everything about the club. Specter’s reaction only makes the point more important.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:06 pmCheck the LATimes today for a CAP expert who was going to provide information on Thursday (character depositions).
http://www.latimes.com/ news/ opinion/ commentary/ la-oe-dujack11jan11,0,746540.story
Ouch. Seemed to me as a once bad kid who tried to get out from under the accusations of moritfied parents when my deeds were plainly discovered, Mr. Spector just leapt and turned red as if someone had mentioned ” back-and-to-the-left” , another subject he’s a bit sensitive about .
Spector doesn’t want those boxes spread out on the table since the Judge who owns them wants them controlled away from prying partisans …this means there is a black and white newspaper clipping of Alito laughing drunk in front of 4 nude guys with hitler ’stashes on , making Zeig Heil salutes in front of a confederate flag.
I certainly don’t Know there is , but neither does Spector Know there isn’t. He isn’t going to agree to anything that might torpedo Bush’s regent, and certainly not load the tubes for Kennedy on live CSPAN…Politicians don’t you know ?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:07 pmHe better have a damn good reason why not to allow the vote and Kennedy will be back untill they do . Problem is the Dems are outnumbered in the vote and even the mod Repugs , which there aren’t any, don’t want that New England Commie to see in those boxes .It will be a heckuva scrap , untill Graham spends the night going through the boxes and nods to Spector they are ’safe’ and don’t have any naz-o-frat pics to embarras anyone.
Alito lied under oath yesterday. He said he recused himself in the Vanguard case. He didn’t.
Alito is a LIAR!
January 11th, 2006 at 2:07 pmonce alito gets confirmed, because the bastard is going to sneak through, mark my words, we will debating with the trolls why presidents need term limits…some future troll talking points:
January 11th, 2006 at 2:08 pm1. Bush needs more time to push his agenda
2. no one can keep america as safe as Bush
3. if we want to keep receiving tax cuts, vote for Bush in 08
4. Iraq is almost won and to change a war time president during a war will send the wrong message to terrorist
5. if Clinton could, he would have ran a third term
6. Congress gave me the authorization to run for 3rd term when they let me go to war
#16 chris from arizona–
Now how many of those criminals have been put in jail…they are domestic terrorists and should therefore be immediately arrested by capitol police and sent on a rendition flight to Abu gharaib..immediately
vote libertarian—outlaw the IRS
January 11th, 2006 at 2:10 pmpathetic…you can’t oppose him using any rational or germane issues so you have to resort to brief, two-decades-old sentences Alito wrote about three-decades-old events and tut-tutting about “inconsistencies”.
But by all means…more stridency, please. Mr. and Mrs. Middle Americans can almost hear you…just a little louder with the cries of “LIAR!” or “RACIST!” and I’m sure they’ll be convinced.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:12 pmthanks all, I have read the article, and will definately discuss this with who passed on the bogus congress info
January 11th, 2006 at 2:13 pmCan’t remember- Can’t recall,– Just wondering what else he can’t seem to remember. “Bring em on, LOL”
January 11th, 2006 at 2:15 pmAs a possible clarification, the term ‘Concerned’ in some cases represents the phrase ‘KKK,’ as in ‘Concerned Citizen’s Council’ (CCC = KKK), which itself was previously the ‘White Citizen’s Council.’
Specter is facing the narrow gate. He hasn’t got much time left to get right with the Lord. Lying in service to a coup is NOT the right stuff.
Covering up for racism is NOT the right stuff.
We don’t have the votes for impeachment, but we do have the power of scandal. Bush Must Resign.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:15 pmWhat I don’t get is why the CAP file at the Library of Congress requires a subpoena? Can’t Kennedy just send a staffer over to get them? The purpose of the LoC is supposed to be to provide a research resource for Congress, and these aren’t classified documents (unless Bush has suddenly declared them so).
January 11th, 2006 at 2:16 pmWhile interesting, I don’t get something fundamental:
Why does Kennedy have to ask Specter to ask the Library of Congress for documents?
Anybody can ask the Library of Congress for documents, as far as I am aware. Can’t Kennedy just get them himself, read them, then say “look at this”?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:16 pm“vote libertarian—outlaw the IRS”
Oh, yeah, that fairy dust is the solution. Number of libertarians in federal power? ZERO. Possibility of outlawing the IRS? ZERO.
You’re batting a thousand.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:18 pmOne thing that makes me cringe when I read or hear it is when someone says “the Iraq War”. People, WE ARE NOT AT WAR! There is no Declaration of WAR from Congress. We are fighting a conflict and we invaded a country, but we are not at WAR. Not leagally at least.
It’s like the “War on Terror”, “War on Drugs”, “War on (you fill in the blank)”.
Please stop saying we are at WAR. This one word only muddies the water and lends support to Bush. I wish we could get the media to stop using the damn word as well. The Administration uses this one word to claim that they have WARTIME powers and that the constitution gives him the authority. By removing this one word, we can KILL his claim that he has WARTIME powers. One last time, WE ARE NOT AT WAR!
January 11th, 2006 at 2:18 pmChris in AZ:
Exactly correct. As AMERICAblog mentioned , just admit you want single party rule and a rump parliament under King. Just admit it.
The trolls do all the time by minimizing and justifying abuses of power and baffling misreading of staute. ( John Yoo…oh , yoo-hoo!) the end result of which is Single Party Dominance free of Electoral Meddling. Why else would they support total power of the executive if they had any intention of suffering under it under Hillary or Biden or ..heh , Dean…? Hmmm? They can only support total watpower executive if , as Geobble said ” …Have no intention of returning power in the manner we aquired it ”
Other wise , they’d be putting Bush in the dock themselves for so gracelessly endangering the agenda.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:18 pmHey IraqVet,
I so want to see the second video of Specter getting the smack down. I want to see the look on his face and hear the reaction.
Let’s see, why would Arlen Specter not want to read a letter from a ranking Senator and a fellow member of the House Judicary Committee? Because they don’t want those documents brought into these hearings.
Oops, too late.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:20 pm#43 tomaig - Vanguard Recusal = Lie
Lying under oath sure was a big deal when a guy named Clinton was accussed of it…
Who’s shrill now?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:20 pmWhy is something in 1984 such a big deal here? When the Swift Boaters came out against Kerry, wasn’t the rallying cry something about the past is not the present? There’s an awful lot of doublespeak and hypocrisy here from both sides dragging up events of more than 20 years ago. I know 20 years ago I did some dumb stuff that I’m not proud of, and I know damn well there are things I did 20 years ago that I don’t remember at all.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:21 pmwhy do you trolls even come here? You try to put us down and act like you bitch slapped us but really….your ego’s and lives are so pathetic that you have to come her to publically mental masturbate? Sad, that is really sad.
Chris from AZ - if Clinton could have run for a 3rd term, he’d have won so that it wouldn’t have mattered that Florida was stolen by the “honorable” republican party with the help of the Supreme Court.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:21 pmDamn! Specter just got served. :)
January 11th, 2006 at 2:22 pm“once alito gets confirmed, because the bastard is going to sneak through, mark my words, we will debating with the trolls why presidents need term limits”
You’re right, Chris. The 22nd Amendment is TOAST.
As with most coups, they don’t leave power except when FORCED to.
• Read the Conyers Report (’Constitution in Crisis’), which documents fourteen major federal crimes by the Bushoviks.
The wheels are coming off the Clown Bus.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:22 pmthat IS funny. tomaig is now upset that someone is “Swift Boating”….ha ha. Where were you in 2004? Voting for the dickhead in chief I’ll bet. & your honor is where?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:24 pm“I did 20 years ago that I don’t remember at all.” –Libertarian
You aren’t applying for a lifetime appointment to our highest court. It’s a slightly higher bar than remembering to go to the Stop & Shop for more beer.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:25 pmbtw - alioto won’t become a SCOTUS.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:25 pmKennedy already knows what’s in the Library Of Congress records, (refer to #37)He’s doing what’s called,
January 11th, 2006 at 2:26 pm“Grandstanding”
What’s with the personal attacks? I asked a valid question. Why belabor something that happened before some of you were even born? It’s ridiculous to attack this man’s past, but then cover up the drunken murderer Kennedy’s past, or the idiot Bush’s military past. Both sides are hypocrites here, and I just want to move on. Maybe if the Senators would ask some questions, I could see Alito’s answers. Right now I watch 20 minutes of Senators (right and left) mumble through a prepared statement with no questions and then get 2 or 3 minutes of Alito’s reply before they launch back in again, either defending or attacking him. I just want some damn questions asked and answered. I don’t want political rhetoric from either side.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:26 pmWow, I’d hate to play Ted Kennedy at Texas Hold ‘Em. To sit there while Specter grandstanded about not having received a letter, and not challenge him immediately was very adroitly played. Man, that makes Specter look like an idiot. Gotta love it. Could this be the first chink in the armor?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:27 pmA.Scott,
January 11th, 2006 at 2:31 pmA very astute way of putting what I was trying to get at…this appointment is the last step, all the pieces have fallen in place…granted they have gotten a little gruff along the way (which is to be expected) they have not been close to being stopped, regardless of:
treason = outing plame, lying to get invoilved in the iraq conflict (a nod to removebush), and possibly being involved in the 9/11 attacks
incompetence = most staffing positions are based on aligence, not aptitude
lying = in most arguments made to support their actions, as well as in thier recollection of past events
despite all of these BLATANT acts, they are still going forward with gutting the democracy and creating a dictatorship not opened to dissent, truth/facts, or any of the other foundations this country was built on…and those who complained, you guessed it: wackos and terrorist sympathizers, down is up, bad is good, and 1984 came 20 years later (a close guess though)
Sign the petition to stop the confirmation of Alito, and more.
Yeah … because confirmation is by citizen popular vote now?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:33 pmI AM BACK — the herpes is clear and my hiney is shiney. Come over here you big green gorilla and make my cheeks whistle again. You are so pretty. DEAN in ‘08!!!!
January 11th, 2006 at 2:34 pmHere’s a question to ask at the START of the hearings:
Judge, at what age do you think one becomes responsible for his/her actions so that they become part of his/her permanent record of life-events that he/she must then be responsible for?
I think the dems need to change the way they operate in these hearings…..they could make opening statements if they wished but should leave the questioning up to their legal counsel….someone who could probe and pick with much better precision than the senators do.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:34 pm“WE ARE NOT AT WAR!” –RemoveBush
The word game isn’t going to save us. We are at war, as we were at war in Vietnam. There is no other word for it, though I prefer to say the ‘illegal Iraq invasion.’
However, this is one of the laws the Bush WHIG has violated (the War Powers Act):
The balance is here: http://wiretap.area.com/Gopher/Gov/warpower.act
The power of Congress to restrain the Executive has never been solidified, though this law, and the clear intent of the Constitution, makes runaway executives illegal. But just changing a word is not going to solve this problem.
Justice Alito will surely side with the unconstitutionality of the War Powers Act. It would be great if he wasn’t given the chance, but regrettably this too will be poked in our collective eye.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:35 pm[…] to Kennedy’s request to subpoena Concerned Alumni of Princeton documents, as soon as Kennedy returns to the hearings. 2:34 pm | Comment (0) […]
January 11th, 2006 at 2:36 pmEveryone Remember, Bush could not pull off these activities by himself. We have to get every possible Republican out of office. We have to!!
They are all in this together and their primary goal is power and control. We don’t stand a chance and our children certainly won’t have a chance in life if we stand back and let this continue.
Specter is just another lying spec in the wheel. They will lie, cheat and steal to maintain their control and destruction.
My hat’s off to Senator Kennedy for standing up against the Bush rogues once again. He stood before the Senate and told of being in the room when the admin and others were planning a war and that Iraq did not have WMD’s. They called him a liar and tried to intimidate him into silence.
He is one of the very few who has the balls to stand up to them. Wonder why?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:36 pmThis is why I always give to every cause Ted Kennedy ask me to, this is why he always has my total support, always. He is the only one with balls.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:37 pmAn earlier post beat me to it. As a staffer for the Warren Commission Arlen Spector invented the “magic bullet theory” to buttress the official story that Oswald fired three shots and was the lone gunman in the JFK assassination.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:37 pmAny way we can get a copy of Specter’s reply letter? I’m just hoping it wasn’t a form letter that his office sent back automatically. This will only remain interesting if it has content that show Specter actually read (then ignored) Kennedy’s letter.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:37 pmWE ARE NOT AT WAR! There is no Declaration of WAR from Congress.
Please see Vietnam War, Korean War … not “formally” declared either but certainly “wars”.
It’s like the “War on Terrorâ€, “War on Drugsâ€, “War on (you fill in the blank)â€.
No … it’s like Vietnam war.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:37 pmCould we get a link to the record of Specter’s response letter?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:39 pmI know 20 years ago I did some dumb stuff that I’m not proud of,
Comment by Libertarian — January 11, 2006 @ 2:21 pm
Then you disavow it, stating your new position clearly and without pussyfooting around the issue.
and I know damn well there are things I did 20 years ago that I don’t remember at all.
It’s a whole different problem when you have documents to remind you of the things you did. Again, if you have changed your mind just say so.
The questions asked by the Senators to Alito are relevant in that Alito has not stated any change of opinion since he wrote those documents. He might not remember specifics, but you can be sure he remembers the overall content, as well as the political leanings of Concerned Alumni of Princeton. Your defence is bogus.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:39 pmI had never heard of CAP till these hearings, I dont know what good a subpoena would do, but as long as the Senator feels he desires one, and it is within the scope of the commitees pervue, then by all means.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:39 pmIt is relevent for advise & consent because Cap is referenced in a “job application”. It is a paradox to me when the nominee can recall case law over decades yet, cant recall this, so…if he cant remeber, and inquiring minds (who have authorty to issue a subpoena0 want to know….?
You’re right, Chris. The 22nd Amendment is TOAST.
This belief seems to be of the “tinfoil hat” variety … where in the world did you conjure that from?
January 11th, 2006 at 2:40 pmOh! The sadist in me wonders how the “most qualified” person in the country for the Supreme Court, Harriet Meirs, would have fared in these hearings.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:40 pm“cover up the drunken murderer Kennedy’s past,”
Even if Kennedy had ever been brought to court, it is clear that his actions on that night were not murder but manslaughter. Laura Bush is also guilty of manslaughter.
Bush has MURDERED tens of thousands of innocent people, including a great number of children. But racists don’t care about their lives.
Neither of the manslaughter issues is pertinent to the current discussion, and yet you introduce them, while WHINING about personal attacks.
Hilarious.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:42 pmno “Libertarian ” , the outcry wasn’t ever about the past staying in the past . The outcry re Swifites is that it was a pack of lies , propelled by a professional deceiver and Kerry Investigator under Nixon who eats feces for breakfast. ( Nixon , you will remember , was a criminal who brought disgrace to the White House)
Nothing the swiftboaters said was true , and what they lied about actually in truth made Kerry look far more solid in the eyes of those who didn’t care in the first place . You’re a hot air spewing dupe. Unfit for Duty written by Islamofascity Looneytune published by Bob Novaks Son!Nothing partisan here !
More stormtroops blaring against self interest in favor of state power .
January 11th, 2006 at 2:42 pm#43, do you mean the scant 34% of “Mr. & Mrs. Middle Americans” that think Alito should be confirmed? Because, I believe the last poll taken indicated a majority of Americans would oppose Alito’s confirmation if he overturns Roe (which he most certainly would … let’s not be coy about it). We’re not “crying” anything that most Americans don’t already know.
“Inconsistencies”? “Two Decades Old” sentences? I’m sure you weren’t dismissing the SwiftBoaters with the same kind of derision that you’re using now … you’re the one with the “inconsistencies” here. If Alito is lying then the American public and Congress have the right - no, the duty - to find out. This is a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land, for God’s sake.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:43 pmThen you disavow it, stating your new position clearly and without pussyfooting around the issue.
Are you watching … he said he didn’t remember being an active member of the group (but that his membership likely stemmed from his desire to protect ROTC on campus) and then he said that he does NOT adhere to the groups philosophys as stated by Senator Kennedy (the racist, sexist comments).
January 11th, 2006 at 2:43 pmThis CAP thing is rather interesting but yeally it will not stop A-lie-TO. he gave himself so much wiggle room that even if they were to find something that was untowrd as to his replies the Repubs would still vote for him by saying oh that was just the irrespnsible behaviour of youth and the reason Alie To couldn’t remember any of it was because he was so ashamed of his behaviour that he didn’t want his mommy to find out!
Sorry to say this but A-lie-to is going to pass and sit unless the dems do a filibuster and with Quisling LIEberman and popinjay Biden sculking around the halls of the Senate we really have no chance to stop this fiasco of an appointment but rather we should start preparing for the next election so that this won’t happen again. Remember the Right have been preparing for this day for thirty plus years and their machine is running on all pistons right now!
January 11th, 2006 at 2:44 pm“You’re right, Chris. The 22nd Amendment is TOAST.
This belief seems to be of the “tinfoil hat†variety” –Giacomo
I know, I know, the people who cling to this ‘tinfoil’ slur haven’t yet figured out that this is a COUP. It really is quite amazing how resilient people’s illusions are.
The constitutionality of the 22nd Amendment can be overruled by a packed SCOTUS in ten minutes. ESPECIALLY during ‘time of war.’
Don’t kid yourself, is my advice. FIGHT!
January 11th, 2006 at 2:48 pm“we should start preparing for the next election”
If you aren’t already preparing NOW for a legal election in your state, you WON’T HAVE ONE.
Thirty states lost their recount rights in 1999. What is the status of YOUR state’s right to recount?
You may not realize it, but you have NO STATUTORY RIGHT to vote for president.
Blaming the Dems for not having enough votes to stop a nominee to the Court after the vote-fraud is not productive. What you need to work on is REPUBLICAN PATRIOTS who don’t want their country fully converted into a Duchy.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:53 pm#
WE ARE NOT AT WAR! There is no Declaration of WAR from Congress.
Please see Vietnam War, Korean War … not “formally†declared either but certainly “warsâ€.
It’s like the “War on Terrorâ€, “War on Drugsâ€, “War on (you fill in the blank)â€.
No … it’s like Vietnam war.
Comment by Giacomo — January 11, 2006 @ 2:37 pm
You do realize that we did not start these or invade the country? We assisted the opposing party. Yes it was a WAR, but we were aiding and assisting. We did not START THESE WARS. We STARTED THIS CONFLICT.
Your points are baseless… You need to really consider going back to school, but this is how smart the Republican part really is. This is the reason our country is on the verge of being taken over by other countries and Americans being put into a Sadam type leadership.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:53 pmI asked a valid question. Why belabor something that happened before some of you were even born? It’s ridiculous to attack this man’s past, but then cover up the drunken murderer Kennedy’s past, or the idiot Bush’s military past.
Comment by Libertarian #62
Liberache,
Kennedy isn’t the SC nominee, and you should’ve asked that lame a*s question BEFORE you voted for that Al Cracka sombich Bushiva…
People are the sum total of their past experiences sh*thead…
Play pu*sy here you get f**ked…
Now run along and play with your stupid a*sed inbred siblimgs!
January 11th, 2006 at 2:54 pmAgain with the personal attacks. Jeez. I just asked a question. Calm down. Everything doesn’t have to drip with vitriol. I just want to hear what the next SCOTUS Justice has to say. I hate to break it to you, but short of an actual nailed down confession that he hates blacks and women, he’ll probably be confirmed. The GOP is threatening the nuclear option, and I’m scared they’re serious this time.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:54 pmI’m getting a paranoid ‘flash’ here–what if the Dems whip up a frenzy about Alito and CAP and ‘draw the line’ that they can’t possibly let a vote happen until there’s full disclosure of the documents–and then the documents are a dud? That’s the kind of trap Rove&Co seem too-deviously able to concoct. The Dems would then look foolish, Alito will look wrongly abused. The momentum would swing towards confirmation. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is meant to shift discussion away from Vanguard, etc., or some unknown skeleton.
But then again, whatever else you might say about him, I don’t think Kennedy is one to fall for such a trap–my guess is, an organization like CAP is not so secret that it can only be known from those documents. I’m gonna cross my fingers and hope Kennedy knows what he’s going after and gets it before those documents are some how shrouded by an ‘executive priviledge’ of one sort or another.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:55 pm“No … it’s like Vietnam war.”– Giacomo
Yeah, but don’t ignore the War Powers Resolution, which was passed in order to stop Vietnams from happening.
The WPR is law. the Bush WHIG is ignoring it.
Any historical view which doesn’t observe the changes in law since those instances is faulty.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:55 pmTo stepehn: I actually think you may be wrong regarding the importance of CAP to this process. Everything I have ever heard about CAP suggests that it published a whole lot of really sexist, racist, elitist material and espoused an awful lot of views that most Americans would find repugnant. If much of this gets aired, and especially if Alito can be even a little more closely tied to it (notice he’s still not actually denying greater involvement, just saying he can’t recall it and that if he was more involved he thinks he would remember), it’s going to turn off a lot of people who didn’t have much feeling on this. Still not a huge impact in terms of the actual shift, but I think there are a handful of Republicans who might think twice about overturning a filibuster to install on the Supreme Court a man many of their constituents think is a big old racist and sexist? It may not be much, but it won’t take much to do it. But I do agree it’ll take a filibuster. And Dems need to have the nerve to pull the trigger.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:56 pm#88 Then you must have been beaten and sworn at as a child. The foul language doesn’t help you get your point across.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:56 pmAlito IS a liar, tomegg. But you chimpylovers don’t care. You support crooks.
Kennedy didn’t get the LoC docs because they’re private papers and the owner must give permission.
Dubya is a NAZI.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:56 pm#
WE ARE NOT AT WAR! There is no Declaration of WAR from Congress.
Please see Vietnam War, Korean War … not “formally†declared either but certainly “warsâ€.
It’s like the “War on Terrorâ€, “War on Drugsâ€, “War on (you fill in the blank)â€.
No … it’s like Vietnam war.
Comment by Giacomo — January 11, 2006 @ 2:37 pm
You realize that these Wars were not started by us and we were particiapants in them ONLY. We were there to assist the side we felt would take the country into a positive direction.
Unlike the Iraq Conflict, where we invaded and started. These are completely different cases and are not even closely related. You really need to go back to school and learn a few things, but then again this is the mentality of the Republicans.
Try to base your comments on factual information. Yes these two conflicts were wars, but they were wars that we went into to aid or assist. Geeze.
January 11th, 2006 at 2:57 pmRight on Ted,
Kick ‘em in their empty sacs…
These inbred, Bushba*lickinscumotheearth Republiscum rubber stamps should ALL be hanged for treason…
They hate American democracy, freedom, diversity and decency…
They long for a totalitarian state run by a single god-like dictator Bushiva and his plutocratic cronies…
The people have to rise up and smite these sick, racist, hypocritical, animal fu*king traitors…
January 11th, 2006 at 2:59 pmI hate to break it to you, but short of an actual nailed down confession that he hates blacks and women, he’ll probably be confirmed.
Comment by Libertarian #89
Liberace,
You inbred pus sac, you know da*n full well that even with a full declaration of his racist leanings complete with photos of his having attended a lynching that ratbast*rd would be confirmed by the racist, right wing, Al cracka bushites (whom YOU helped vote into office)…
You’re playing games , and nobody’s buying it…
We can smell you pig fu*king inbred traitors through our monitors…
January 11th, 2006 at 3:05 pmWhat you need to work on is REPUBLICAN PATRIOTS who don’t want their country fully converted into a Duchy.
Comment by Paul in LA #86
Where in the he*l are you going to find any?
January 11th, 2006 at 3:08 pmDoes anyone remember that Spector came up with the magic bullet theory as a counsel for the Warren Commision? He covered up Ted’s brother’s death.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:08 pmDo people here actually like the tone big papa uses? It’s not exactly a constructive conversation since it’s peppered with useless dogma and personal attacks. It really makes you out to be extremist and intolerant. If the Democrats are just as extremist and intolerant as the Republicans, I guess I just won’t vote any more.
Yes, I voted for Bush, and I regret it every day now.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:10 pmLibertarian
January 11th, 2006 at 3:12 pmIf the Repugs can threaten the nuclear option every time a vote comes up, the filibuster is effectively dead already. Don’t you think it’s time to get your head out of your ass?
Don’t you think it’s time to get your head out of your ass?
Comment by purvis ames — January 11, 2006 @ 3:12 pm
What’s that personal attack all about? I was just saying Alito was going to be confirmed one way or the other. Didn’t say I agreed with it, but I haven’t heard the man speak enough to decide for myself.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:15 pmLibertarian,
January 11th, 2006 at 3:15 pmmaybe if you were beaten and cursed at, you’d have some basis in reality
Teddy is the damn man! Damn did he make Specter look silly. Oh and I love how Specter is now blaming it on his Chief of Staff. Didn’t Specter have this same problem a few months ago when he claimed that an appropriation earmark didn’t include money for a Japanese garden for the CDC, and then he had to admit on the floor that it actually did!
January 11th, 2006 at 3:16 pmIf the Democrats are just as extremist and intolerant as the Republicans, I guess I just won’t vote any more.
Comment by Libertarian #101
Liberache,
Thanks, and tell your kin…
January 11th, 2006 at 3:17 pmChris in AZ,
January 11th, 2006 at 3:18 pmJeez, are you always this violent? You don’t do the world any good if all you do is threaten violence.
103 , U mean while wiggling in a bit of falseity about swiftboating falsity? Don’t try and get all reasonable After your bullshit was detected. Stop employing it . And stop playing foil when you have no clue what you believe.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:20 pm#83
Giacomo,
Are you watching? Alito was responsible for getting the ROTC kicked off of the Princeton campus.
Who is anti-military now?
January 11th, 2006 at 3:20 pmbig papa,
January 11th, 2006 at 3:21 pmSo you’d rather I don’t vote than vote for Democrats? I’ve shifted view points fairly extremely since last election to the point where the centrist Democrats look to maybe get my votes.
A.Scott,
January 11th, 2006 at 3:23 pmI didn’t wiggle in falsity of the swift boat. I merely asked the question why the past is so important now and it wasn’t for Kerry.
You know, if Alito actually had changed his opinions about being in CAP, he could just say so. After all, Robert Byrd has lived down his youthful connection to the Klan (right-winger claims to the contrary) and no one assumes he still holds those views. But by obfuscating and semi-lying, trying not to have to answer for his past, Alito makes it seem that much worse. The guilty flee where no man pursueth, says the Bible.
If he once had views that he no longer holds, he should say so. If he doesn’t say so, it’s likely he still holds those views, at least to some degree. The same goes for his views on abortion. He was against Roe v. Wade, and now won’t say, so, yes, he’s still against it.
Ed
January 11th, 2006 at 3:23 pmLibertarian,
January 11th, 2006 at 3:24 pmNo, I am not, and I am not your parents or was I threatening you…you grew up with a rosy red childhood and that’s their fault you have no basis in reality…me, I got caught stealing money as a little kid for the ice cream man, and I got whooped, I got caught sneaking out a few years later, and once again, out came the broom stick…I wouldn’t say I was abused, but I won’t sit and wonder why everyone doesn’t get along
Ed,
January 11th, 2006 at 3:25 pmGood points there.
he said he didn’t remember being an active member of the group (but that his membership likely stemmed from his desire to protect ROTC on campus)
Comment by Giacomo — January 11, 2006 @ 2:43 pm
That reply is disingenuous -if he can’t remember being a member, he cannot put forth a reason of why he might have joined.
Again, when it comes to group with strong views such as the Concerned Alumni of Princeton, I find it very hard to believe Alito does not remember being a member. Let alone an active member (specially since he mentioned the CAP in his job application).
This is as ridiculous as it would be Alito claiming not to remember being a Princeton graduate because it happened over 30 years ago.
and then he said that he does NOT adhere to the groups philosophys as stated by Senator Kennedy (the racist, sexist comments).
True. He did say he didn’t agree with the views expressed in those documents. But fact remains he is still “proud of his efforts to outlaw the use of racial quotas and abortion.”
Having said all that, this is why I usually don’t post comments in any thread about Alito: I have the eery feeling he will be confirmed no matter what.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:25 pmChris in AZ,
January 11th, 2006 at 3:27 pmI wasn’t suggesting everyone get along, but the hate speech coming from big papa was excessive. And why do you assume I grew up with a rosy red childhood?
I think the hole thing smells of RECTAL CRANIAL INVERSION another words they all have their heads up their asses anyway.!
January 11th, 2006 at 3:28 pmHow can anyone trust anything that Specter says… Lets take a step back in history.
There was a young man who came up with a well known “theory” called the Magic Bullet Theory. That one bullet could inflict SEVEN wounds and still be completely intact. Who was this young man who was trying to sell the biggest lie in history??? OH YES it was Mr. Specter himself.
So you want to talk about stacking the deck to make sure your Supreme court nominees get in, put Arlen Specter at the helm of the hearings. If he can sell a Magic Bullet, maybe you can pick up the Golden Gate for a song…
January 11th, 2006 at 3:29 pmSo Specter bold faced lied about the letter! I don’t believe a thing that comes out of the mouths of conservatives. Kennedy and the American people have a right to see what is in those documents, especially when it comes to a nominee to a life time appointment!
January 11th, 2006 at 3:31 pmEd Drone,
I might agree with you regarding Byrd living down his past connections to the Klan, but EVERY time both the extreme rightwing media (FOX, CNN, MSNBC) and frequently the “less extreme rightwing” media (ABC, NBC, CBS) mention his name they append “former KKK member”. How has he lived it down? Just the same way that Ted Kennedy has lived down Chappaquiddick and Bill Clinton has lived down his hummer.
The wingnuts never let you live it down…being the party of Godly forgiveness and all.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:31 pmAlito is GOING to be CONFIRMED and there is not a thing you communistic, pacifistic, atheistic, elitist wimps, wussies and whiners can do to stop it! While its perhaps sinful of me of me to gloat, I can’t help but LOVE watching radical lefties spin themseleves into an aimless frenzy to nowhere! God forgive me. Shouldnt you at least wait until Roe, Bollinger and Lawrenece v. Texas are “aborted” (e.g., reversed and consigned to the you go postal? LOL
January 11th, 2006 at 3:41 pmmike - I hope that Alito is not nominated, but if he is then you do realize that your rights as well are going away?
One day you will be driving your car and the cops will pull you over, drag you out, search your car, and beat you with their night sticks before letting you go. You won’t have any recorse to the abuse, so what will you do then?
This senerio is not a fantasy if Alito is confirmed.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:48 pmI imagine those files over at the Congressional Library will be thoroughly scrubbed before they are delivered to the Judiciary Committee.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:49 pmLib,
The past is important. The difference with the Swiftboat and Alito is with Kerry there were truths dabbled and then twisted into an attack on a mand that served our country in war and peace and then made him out to be anti-American. Basically they used slander to reach an objective. That is using the past in the wrong way and that is the offensive part. As far as Alito is concerned his past is important because he will be sitting on the SCOTUS for life. His past affiliations, decisions, actions all need to be looked at carefully. I don’t see where you get the idea that a liberal wouldn’t think the past is important in both cases. One is important because it tippifies the use of slander by the Repugs as a ways and means and the second is important because it deals with the future of the US.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:51 pmYes, Mike, Alito probably will be confirmed. And the United States citizens will pay with some of the liberties that they now enjoy. Do you love watching the U.S. go down the tubes because of that lying bastard bush? Can’t you see what is happening to this country? It appears that people like you are closed-minded. Now I wonder why I went to Vietnam all those years ago. I bet you support the Iraq war. Are you a chickenhawk?
January 11th, 2006 at 3:52 pmmike, you’re a silly boy. You have NO CLUE how serious the situation is, as long as you can drink your beers watch your football and play your video games and they keep piping Rush Limbaugh into your empty head….everything will be fine. Go back to sleep, we’ll wake you when the nightmare is over.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:53 pmCNN has a great picture of Specter walking past Kennedy. Of course, CNN is so stupid as to suggest that it’s not clear who is telling the truth. Ah CNN - it is clear. Specter lied.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:55 pmKENNEDY: CAP publishes a magazine called Prospect. There was an article way back in 1983 that says
bLacks, hispanics and asians are demanding jobs…hickup
FEINSTEIN: Finish the last line.
KENNEDY: Hickup…the last line…and homosexuals demand the right to bear children…hickup
FEINSTEIN: Finish the last line!
KENNEDY: What? Oh, the last line.
FEINSTEIN: Here comes the good part. The last line. About the women.
KENNEDY: Oh yes. The women. Judge Alito. Does Princeton have hot women.
Senator Biden says they do and he would be very concerned if his son didn’t take interest in them.
FEINSTEIN. The last line!!!!
KENNEDY: If the senator will let me just…
FEINSTEIN: Yes, I will…
(LAUGHTER)
FEINSTEIN: No, And now here come women.
KENNEDY: Where?
KENNEDY: Can I get two more minutes from my friend from…
(LAUGHTER)
Just to continue along. I apologize, Judge. Did you read this article?
ALITO: Senator, I’ve never read that maga…
KENNEDY: Well, could you think of any context that they could be…
ALITO: Hard to imagine. If that’s what anybody was endorsing, 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.
KENNEDY: We need a soopeener into these magazines articles that you haven’t read!!! Now Senator
Feinstein, where are the…hickup…women?
January 11th, 2006 at 3:56 pmWASHINGTON, D.C. — The conservative alumni group Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) has been the subject of criticism in recent weeks, but yesterday the University itself also came under scrutiny.
Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), who grilled Samuel Alito ‘72 about his CAP membership, also said that he “wasn’t a big Princeton fan.”
“I didn’t even like Princeton,” he said, to laughter from the gallery. “I mean, I really didn’t like Princeton. I was an Irish Catholic kid who thought it had not changed like you concluded it had,” referring to Alito’s earlier statement that Princeton had changed its traditional ways before he enrolled.
But Biden had nothing but praise for the University in a 2004 speech at the Wilson School.
“It’s an honor to be here,” he told the audience. “It would have been an even greater honor to have come here.”
Biden also said yesterday: “One of my real dilemmas is I have two kids who went to Ivy League schools. I’m not sure my Grandfather Finnegan will ever forgive me for allowing that to happen.”
But in his speech at Princeton, he said, “I have three children who have mercifully all finally completed undergraduate and graduate school. And I tried to get all three of them to apply here.”
He went on to recall how he tried to convince them to attend Princeton, but because they didn’t, he’s “counting on his grandchildren.”
January 11th, 2006 at 4:01 pmFinally a joke that Bushie could understand….
If you used brain cells to think of that they should be executed by an over indulgence of alcohol..
January 11th, 2006 at 4:01 pmLibertarian,
You seem to want answers about Alito, but if you are actually expecting this hearing to tell you anything then you are barking up the wrong tree.
Alito hasn’t and won’t answer anything. Roberts didn’t do it and the media acted like he was some sort of god for his posturing and dodging. If you get to the end of the hearings and Alito says anything that you can firmly and confidently say how he will vote, I would love to hear it.
Alito won’t give cut and dried answers to the questions we all feel are necessary to judge him. That is the problem. He should be fillibustered because he refuses to share any honest insights about how he will perform his job.
If Alito were honest he would say, ‘I will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.’ (or the opposite in the unlikely case he would truly follow precedent) Or when asked about Bush’s NSA spying he should say, ‘Based on what I have seen I don’t think Bush did anything wrong and here’s why.’ He knows how he will vote, especially on Roe. And if he doesn’t then he is truly corrupt because it will be apparent that he is waiting for instructions on how to vote for Bush, the GOP, or CAP or whoever.
I am embarrassed to even respond to you because you are obviously a troll if you are commenting on blogs with this kind of ‘reasoned’ questioning based on what you already know is a farce.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:03 pmPortraying Ted Kennedy as a lush is as fair as portraying Bush as a coke-snorting draft dodger. Fair enough, I’ll make that trade anyday. How does it feel to be a slave to President cokehead? So few brain cells for the Shrub, so much time.
Ted Kennedy proved something to me today. There are Democrats that are tired of spineless complicity and the lying sleazeballs on the right. He showed us today how democracy is supposed to work. Way to go Ted, keep the heat on these fuc*tards.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:03 pmYeah Ted showed us how democracy really works on July 18, 1969. Way to go Ted!!!
January 11th, 2006 at 4:08 pmHmmm…covering up a drunk driving fatality in ‘69 vs. desiring the continued oppression of all American minorities and women in ‘85…
I think Alito is the worst case…Ted Kennedy could have and can be voted out at six-year intervals. Racist Alito will hold that black robe until we pry it out of his cold, dead hands.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:11 pmAnd your shi*-for-brains President showed us how courage works when he checked “do not send” to Vietnam on his TANG application, yet supported that war and now sends other brave young Americans to fight in his fraudulent war. A real man of courage George W. Bush is, never willing to back up his phony swagger with actual deeds. He’s a loathesome human being.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:12 pmI attended Princeton University in the 1980’s and I remember CAP very well. Princeton, though a beautiful campus, is not the warmest place for people of color. And it is very hard to forget those that made your stay there that much tougher. I remember one specific quote from CAP that stil reverberates to this day. When minority students inquired about CAP, upper classmen always defined them as the group that says “the only black thing at Princeton should be the squirrels.” There are only two places in the world with black squirrels, the Black Forest in Germany and Princeton University. Alito must have been very proud of such statements since he assisted in securing funds to get such a message out. I was fortunate enough to graduate but know of many minority students who thought such an atmosphere wasn’t conducive to a positive college enivronment, and they left.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:15 pmCovering up a drunk driving fatality in ‘69? First, Ted was 37 in 1969 and second he was the driver. So typical.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:17 pmEd - why a troll, really? I was linked here from another website and wanted to enter the discussion with reasoning. I do see that these hearings are a farce, but I blame the Dems for that too because they don’t ask pointed direct questions. “Will you vote to overturn Roe?” I haven’t heard that. I’ve heard, “What is your opinion on the precedent set by Roe?” “Do you intend to uphold precedent?”
Straight questions require straight answers. If he dodges a straight question, he can be held to the fire for refusing to answer.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:18 pmWhat’s the issue with CAP? No one even knows what CAP’s original intent was….the statements that it opposed women, gays, and minorities entrance into Princeton is hardly grounded in any real evidence.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:18 pmBesides, why do Democrats care so much about public officials with shady college histories. That didn’t stop them from voting Gregoire governor of Washington, despite her leadership of a supposedly “White-only Christian-only” sorority. Of course, not too much cristicism of her past was heard by the public, because “people can change”……right?
dlet,
January 11th, 2006 at 4:20 pmCan you not move past things you thought in the past? Not saying Alito has or will, but do you doubt that anyone could?
Suckah - CAP is not the only issue, but seems to be the issue at the moment. I susspect that they are using CAP to show a trend. I also suspect that they will next move to the Vangard issue, where Alito told Congress that if any cases came before him he would recuse himself. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. These issues are the reason for the concern. This guy has a HISTORY of saying one thing and doing another. This is the problem.
Besides, when I apply for a new job I have to go through a job interview. These questions can, and often are, very difficult. They are questions that I must answer directly to, and if I don’t then guess what I probably wont get the job. Why is it that a government official is better than me or you, or anyone?
January 11th, 2006 at 4:23 pmSpecter was modeling his behavior on his hero, the ever-gracious, ever-collegial, ever-temperate Ted Stevens. Who can forget, among all his other outbursts as a Senator, the way he gaveled Sen. Cantwell out of order when she had the nerve to suggest that the oil company excutives be put under oath in their Senate testimony. He wouldn’t even let her call for a vote on the question. And then, guess what: the oil exec’s lied through their teeth.
Specter is a shill for the administration, just as are all the other Repug’s, and if anyone actually thinks his show hearings on the president’s warrantless surveillance program will be anything other than that, I’ve got a war in Iraq I’d like to sell you.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:25 pmComments have ruined the blogoshere. A blog should be a soapbox, uninterrupted by heckling crowds.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:26 pmTed Kennedy…what a joke…what a complete waste of space.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:26 pm#136:
I know of at least two other places with black squirrels: Geneva, NY and a park in another upstate NY town whose name I forget.
Not that it detracts from your point.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:27 pmLib,
If you’ll remember from the Roberts fiasco, they tried that direct approach and the bastard dodged by giving some BS about not being able to give an answer about possible pending cases. So now they have to go at it from the angle of respecting precedent.
In the end, I think the the question was simple and straightforward. ‘What is your opinion of the precendent set by Roe?’ His simple answer could be, ‘This case was wrongly decided.’ He could even be somewhat devious without being a complete ass and say, ‘This case was wrongly decided though I won’t say with certainty that I would vote to allow states to ban abortion. It would depend on the facts of the case presented.’ Ok, he would be a complete ass for saying it, but it would be more honest that the dodging he is doing.
He (and Roberts before him) won’t say anything damaging so that the Dems can say he is ‘on the record’ as being out of the mainstream. Instead they will have to fillibuster either on the fact that his whole life and work prior to his nomination was out of the mainstream or based on his obfuscations. Neither one plays well in today’s media and neither one will likely draw Republicans away from consigning the fillibuster to dustbin of history.
Bush’s nominees have truly left our system of government in a sad, tattered state.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:30 pmBeing a conservative and being a down right racists are two different things. What is Alito? CAP will expose a lot about his thought process. CAP was not only intent on keeping minority students out of Princeton but intent on getting rid of the ones that were already attending. The irony here is that I recall going to Princeton High School to tutor minority students. The teachers gave me a list full of Italian surnames. When I asked why such a list was made available, the administrators stated that Italians at Princeton were considered minorities, mainly because traditional minorities like Blacks, Latinos or Native Americans existed in very limited numbers at this school. So since Alito attended Princeton University and since he is of Iatalian descent, he was considered a disadvantaged minority. I bet he doesn’t even know this.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:32 pm#145
Don’t mention that to any conservative alumni from Princeton, they are so proud of their squirrels!
January 11th, 2006 at 4:34 pmMixtli,
I grew up in Texas in the 70’s and 80’s and I can’t believe that Princeton was such a hotbed of unadulterated racism and sexism then.
I can’t imagine how deceived you must have felt after the initial adulation of being accepted to what is considered a top-notch institution.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:35 pmI meant to add that such racism and sexism was generally the stuff of the unwashed rednecks or stories of the corporate boardrooms in Texas when I was growing up. Most people generally seemed to hold such views only in private and generally looked down on people who openly expressed them.
January 11th, 2006 at 4:38 pmIf you watch the CNN clip it ends right before Kennedy introduces Specter’s letter into the record. It’s shameful, and it gives the impression that Kennedy is somehow disingenuous. And their “developing story” says nothing about it either. Some “liberal” media we have here. It’s all a big joke.
Libertarian - of course, people can change their minds over time (in fact, that’s one of Bush’s biggest problems, the inability to change his mind over time). But Alito is not saying he’s changed his mind or has disavowed what he said in the past. He’s prevaricating, trying to play both sides, and really saying nothing in the process, saying “I don’t remember being in the group but if I was this is why”. That is very shady and he can’t have it both ways. I think it’s entirely appropriate for Kennedy to hammer this issue until it gets resolved, one way or the other. If Alito is untruthful about this seemingly minor issue, how can he be believed on any other?
January 11th, 2006 at 4:44 pmEd,
Talk about culture shock! It was my first trip on a plane and my first trip on a train. Nobody ever came up directly to me and taunted me with racial slurs, they chose to ignore me instead. I guess among the “elite” if you don’t exist you don’t have to deal with such trivial matters. Don’t get me wrong, there were some great people at Princeton, professors, students, administrators and staff. But I quickly learned that subtle racism is probably more harmful - you can’t fight