"A Wretched Hive Of Scum And Villainy": Part Eight–Deja Vu

Earlier today, Sen. Kennedy and Sen. Specter had an exchange. To say that this was friendly banter would be incorrect; Sen. Specter was clearly miffed at Sen. Kennedy’s attempted usurping of committee power. Sen. Kennedy requested, and was rebuffed on that request, to have CAP records subpoenaed. Sen. Specter said he would take it under consideration, and considered the matter closed.

Sen. Kennedy disagreed, and continued on his temper-tantrum rant. It eventually devolved into Sen. Specter admonishing Sen. Kennedy for his behavior, rapping his gavel, and moving onto Sen. Grassley’s questions for Judge Alito. Not only was Sen. Kennedy out of line in his questioning of Judge Alito, after Judge Alito assured him he had been quite candid regarding his membership in CAP, but this outburst was likewise out of line.

But let us face facts: The Democrats on the committee have been anything but professional in regard to the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito.

But, I focused on this outburst, and I was reminded of something from a few years ago. Does anyone remember the Rockefeller memo? This memo was circulated amongst the Democrats on the Intelligence Committee, and a copy eventually found it’s way into the hands of Sean Hannity, syndicated talk show host. He reprinted the memo–in its entirety–in his latest book, "Deliver Us From Evil."

This memo was in regard to the administration’s justification for going to war in Iraq. And it laid out the strategy for attack on the president. I am reminded of a couple of key points within that memo. First, "Pull the majority along as far as we can," and secondly, "Assiduously prepare Democratic ‘additional views’ to attack to any...final reports the committee may release."

Now, these apply to the Intelligence Committee, but the actions of the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee remind me an awful lot of these provisions within this memo. This party does not care about their proper role, or the president’s nominee. They care about one thing only. They only care about getting power back. We are a bunch of idiots. Judge Alito is an idiot. The president is an idiot. Everyone who does not agree with them is an idiot.

Well, "idiot" is a far better insult, in my opinion, than the misplaced "Nazi" insult.

What is most disturbing to me about these hearings is that the Democrats know no shame. They have engaged in blatant character assassination, as Sen. Feingold attempted to do yesterday, and Sen. Kennedy did today. The brutality of these attacks–mistake, these were attacks–was evident with Judge Alito’s wife leaving the chamber in tears. She cannot help that. She is watching her husband perform superbly under the withering, abusive, and borderline defamatory swipes, and those on the committee seem unimpressed; at times, completely unfazed.

This man has more knowledge than any member of the committee. Many on the committee (if not all; I have not checked) have law degrees. The Democrats stumble through the questions as though they are the idiots; quite often that is backed up in their grasp of the law, in general. The Republicans have given this man his due and honored respect. The Democrats have spit on it. And were I a Democrat in the Senate that was watching this, but not participating until the formal vote, I would side on the favor of Judge Alito.

Personally, I think many will. Thomas has stated that he thinks the most that can be mustered on the Democrat’s side against Judge Alito will be around 25. I tend to agree with that, but if the Democrats keep this up, it will be even less opposed to him, and it will lay bare the complete and utter partisanship of those people. That partisanship is likely to cost the Democrats in the end, and they will have no one to blame but themselves.

The Bunny ;)