Moving As Slow As Molasses In January: The Alito Hearings

I picked this tidbit up this morning in my Washington Times. I heard Specter's announcement yesterday, and I'm not too happy about this. By pushing the Alito hearings after the Christmas break, this ranks up with Clarence Thomas' hearings as being one of the longest ever for a judicial nominee.

"The White House wanted [Judge Alito's confirmation] before Christmas," Mr. Specter said yesterday. "It just couldn't be done. We have to do it right; we can't do it fast."

Specter doesn't want to do it fast because he doesn't want to provoke a fight. The Democrats made a point of telling the GOP that if they move too quickly, they'll begin obstructing him, and force a filibuster. This is bluster on the part of the liberals. Tuesday's antics of shutting down the Senate is a prime example of their desperation over Alito. The Gang of 14 is starting to fracture, even though McCain is trying to hold them together, and a number of other senators--Republican and Democrat alike--have said they really see nothing wrong with Judge Alito, his record, or his resume. (A welcome change, I'm sure, from the Miers debacle.)

But based on comments yesterday by centrist Democrats, Judge Alito does not appear headed toward bitter hearings like Justice Thomas.

"He certainly got it off to a good start," Sen. Mark Pryor, Arkansas Democrat, said yesterday after meeting with Judge Alito. Mr. Pryor is among the "Gang of 14" who can determine whether the "extraordinary circumstances" exist that warrant a filibuster against a nominee.

"I don't see any extraordinary circumstances," Mr. Pryor said. "I don't expect any. But then again, things can change rather quickly, and I'll continue to be looking for those."

There's another one of the Gang of 14 that doesn't see anything extraordinary about Alito. Pryor did add a caveat to his initial remark, which is to be expected, but that now makes four that have publicly stated they see nothing wrong with Judge Alito. The Democrats, I'm sure, are unhappy to hear these comments. Each time they do, it makes it that much harder for them to justify any sort of obstruction against him. The Democrats right now are stuck between the proverbial "rock and a hard place." But, other members of the Gang of 14 continued to weigh in yesterday.

"No, I don't see anything," Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut Democrat and Gang of 14 member, said after the meeting. "Well, I see some things today that raise questions in my mind about opinions he's written, but they're questions."

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia Democrat and group member, also met with Judge Alito yesterday.

"Overall, I was very impressed with his intellect, with respect to the powers of the branches of government, the law and the Constitution," he told reporters afterward. "He's certainly well-fitted in that regard for the Supreme Court. But I want to hear more; I want to read more."

I'd like to point out that Pryor, Lieberman, and Byrd all voted in favor of CJ Roberts. Chances are they'll vote for Alito. But for every bit of wisdom that emanates from the Democrats who get it (and that's tough for me to admit when it comes to Byrd) the Democrats have more idiots in the wings waiting to pounce.

Other Democrats say they do not need to hear any more to make up their minds. At least one senator -- Tom Harkin of Iowa -- and many liberal supporters have said Judge Alito should be blocked.

Among them are a group of female House Democrats who gathered yesterday on the front steps of the Supreme Court to condemn Judge Alito as a radical from a different century for his opinion in a pivotal abortion case.

"Judge Alito's views are not only out of the mainstream; I would characterize them as radical," said Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, a senior Democrat from New York. "His nomination literally tips the scales of justice against women on this court."

And who let the House moonbats in on this debate. They have no say in this. This is strictly under the purview of the Senate. This was nothing more than a PR stunt performed by these wacky women to show their pro-abortion advocates and special interests that "they care" about the lies of abortion. And I'd like to point out that it's the Democrats that are being so vocal about Roe, not our side. Our side is looking at EVERYTHING about the man. The media and the liberals are hyping up this one, little opinion.

Polls show that more than 70 percent of Americans agree with Judge Alito's opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey defending a Pennsylvania law that required a married woman to notify her husband before having an abortion.

There is mainstream for Rep. Slaughter. Seventy percent of this nation supports such a law. See, here is where I have a problem with these moonbats. They scream that Roe ensures "reproductive rights" for women. Yet, Roe made the act of abortion legal in this nation at a time when over half of the nation had laws on the books outlawing the practice except in three instances: Rape, incest, and to protect the life of the mother. But that wasn't good enough. They wanted abortion on demand, and got exactly that. But, when an abortion is performed, it ceases to be "reproductive." So, using their logic, that argument is moot and unqualified.

"You talk about being out of the mainstream; these ladies are the sisters of doom," said Connie Mackey, vice president of the conservative Family Research Center. "They are completely outside the mainstream."

Mrs. Slaughter said Judge Alito is a "clear and present danger to the rights of women in America."

"He has also argued that the state effectively has the right to give a man control over his wife," she said. "He argued that before a married woman can have an abortion, she must notify her spouse."

Mrs. Slaughter and other women in the House claimed that Judge Alito argued that a woman must obtain "permission" from her husband before getting an abortion, even if he has abused her or deserted her. The Pennsylvania law that Judge Alito defended contained exceptions for those very circumstances.

This point is something that the media has thoroughly distorted. And Rep. Slaughter makes a half-assed attempt to grab a hold of that media-driven lie. What is it about the liberals and their love for an act that murders innocent children? They believe that because they have this all-encompassing right to abortion that there can be NO legislation against abortion. No notification for parents or spouses, no limit on when they can be performed, i.e. late-term abortions, etc. The states are trying to clean up the mess the Supreme Court handed them,a nd it doesn't help that idiots like Rep. Slaughter keep distorting the facts.

The simple fact of the matter is that there are few that are opposed to Judge Alito. Those that are use spun facts and half-truths, as evidenced by Rep. Slaughter, and Sen. Harkin above. Contrast those with the comments of Byrd, Pryor, Lieberman, DeWine, Graham, and Ben Nelson. The latter undermined the president, but have admitted they see nothing wrong with Judge Alito. Yes, they'll wait to see what the hearings reveal, but they seem confident that there won't be a filibuster. The Democrats would be wise to listen to them. They may end up getting their legs cut out from underneath if they launch a filibuster in a vain attempt to stop Judge Alito.

Mistress Pundit