Wrap up of Alito's Confirmation Hearings

Well, it was an interesting week in the world of politics. The biggest story was the Alito confirmation hearings. I happened to watch quite a bit of the hearings because I didn't have anything better to do. One of the most shocking moments came at the hand of Judge Alito's wife. Martha Ann Alito became teary eyed and distraught when Sen. Lindsey Graham apologized for the ugly grilling her husband had been subjected to near the end of a long day on Wednesday. She left the room. "Judge Alito, I am sorry that you've had to go through this. I am sorry that your family has had to sit here and listen to this," the South Carolina Republican Graham said.



I think the tears of Alito's wife sent a powerful message around the country. The headlines up til then were mostly about Alito and Roe v. Wade. The country finally was able to see what the democrats have done and how out of line they were. Interesting how the MSM did not report on the brutal attacks by the dems, but tears were just not something they could ignore.

Earlier in the proceedings, Sen. Ted Kennedy challenged Alito over his 1980s membership in The Concerned Alumni of Princeton. Quoting from an article critical of affirmative action written - not by Alito - but by a fellow CAP member, the Massachusetts Democrat suggested that the prospective Supreme Court Justice was racially insensitive. Alito had no ties to this person, and apparently didn't even know him. The democrats somehow spun this to try to portray Alito as a racist. Interesting to note that Kennedy belonged to an all-male social club — the Owl — at Harvard University. The Owl refused to admit women until it was forced to do so during the 1980s. Hmmmmm....

One of the other points which democrats brutally attacked Alito on was the VanGuard issue. On a questionnaire for the Senate Judiciary Committee during the confirmation process for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 1990, Alito said he would avoid a conflict of interest by not voting on cases involving First Federal Savings & Loan of Rochester, NY, and two investment firms, Smith Barney and Vanguard Group, because he held accounts with them. However, this statement apparently only applied to his first couple years in the position.

Over a decade later, in 2002, Alito upheld a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit filed against multiple investment company defendants, including Vanguard Group. When notified of the situation, Alito denied doing anything improper but recused himself from further involvement in the case. The case was reheard with the new panel coming to the same conclusion. So, let me get this straight, he did not break the law, did not go against what he said he would do, and even rectified the situation after it was brought to light. So, why is this apparently such a big deal? Because the democrats have nothing better to attack him on, that's why.

The worst part of all of this was that these democrats already knew going into the hearings that they would vote Alito down. They did not give him a fair shake and used their time to push their agenda and bash bush. I believe this was obvious by the fact that many democrats spent a vastly greater amount of time talking than asking questions.

The democrats were just ridiculous and out of line in these hearings. They went nothing like they should have. The point is to understand more about the nominee and decide whether or not they are qualified to be on the highest court in the land. This did not happen. Everything the democrats brought up and attacked Alito on amounted to nothing. They tried to dig up whatever they could, but in the end they really didn't find much. I believe Alito will be confirmed