"A Wretched Hive Of Scum And Villainy": Part Six--Uncle Teddy Gets Put In His Place
Noted blowhard, Sen. Edward Kennedy, decided that today, he was god of the Judiciary Committee. He made demands of the committee, and ultimately made an absolute ass out of himself. Thankfully, Sen. Specter reminded Sen. Kennedy just how small he really was.
KENNEDY: Last month, I sent a letter to Senator Specter asking a number of questions about your membership in CAP. And I asked Senator Specter make a formal committee request for the documents in the possession of the Library of Congress as part of the William Rusher papers. Mr. Rusher was the publisher of the National Review, was an active founder and leader of CAP.
Do you have any hesitancy or reason for us not to look at those documents?
ALITO: They're not my documents, Senator, and I have no opinion about it whatsoever.
KENNEDY: Do you think they'd be helpful?
ALITO: Senator, I don't believe I had any active involvement with this group.
I've wracked my memory and I can't recall anything. And if I had been involved actively in any way in the group, I'm sure that I would remember that.
KENNEDY: Well, Mr. Chairman, if I could have your attention, I think we ought to vote on issuing a subpoena to the custodian of those CAP records.
And I want to do that at an appropriate time. I'd move that the committee go into executive session for the purpose of voting on the issuancing of -- the sole purpose for issuing the subpoena of those records.
SPECTER: Well, we'll consider that, Senator Kennedy. There are many, many requests which are coming to me and many quarters. And, quite candidly, I view the request -- if it's really a matter of importance, you and I see each other all the time and you have never mentioned it to me.
And I do not ascribe a great deal of weight -- we actually didn't get a letter, but...
KENNEDY: You did get a letter. Are you saying...
SPECTER: Well, now wait a minute; you don't know what I got. I'm about to...
KENNEDY: Yes I do, Senator, since I sent it.
SPECTER: Well, the sender does not necessarily know what the recipient gets, Senator Kennedy. You are not in a position to say what I receive.
If you'll bear with me for one minute.
KENNEDY: But I am in a position to say what I sent to you on December 22.
SPECTER: You're in a position to tell me what you sent.
KENNEDY: I renew my request, Senator. And if I'm going to be denied, then I'd appeal the decision of the chair.
I think we are entitled to this information. It deals with the fundamental issues of equality and discrimination.
This nominee has indicated he has no objection to seeing us these issues. We've gone over the questions and we are entitled to get that kind of information. And if you're going to rule it out of order, I want to have a vote on that here on our committee.
SPECTER: Well, don't be premature, Senator Kennedy. I'm not about to make a ruling on this state of the record.
I hope you won't mind if I consider it, and I hope you won't mind if I give you the specifics that there was no letter which I received.
I take umbrage at your telling me what I received. I don't mind your telling me what you mailed. But there's a big difference between what's mailed and what's received. And you know that.
We're going to move on now.
Senator Grassley...
KENNEDY: Mr. Chairman, I'd appeal the ruling of the chair on this.
SPECTER: There has been no ruling of the chair, Senator Kennedy.
KENNEDY: Well what is the -- my request is that we go into the executive session for the sole purpose of voting on a subpoena for these records that are held over at the Library of Congress -- that purpose and that purpose only.
And if I'm going to be denied that, I'd want to give notice to the chair that you're going to hear it again and again and again and we're going to have votes of this committee again and again and again until we have a resolution.
I think it's...
SPECTER: Well, Senator Kennedy, I'm not concerned about your threats to have votes again, again and again. And I'm the chairman of this committee and I have heard your request and I will consider it.
And I'm not going to have you run this committee and decide when we're going to go into executive session.
We are in the middle of a round of hearings. This is the first time you have personally called it to my attention, and this is the first time that I have focused on it. And I will consider in due course.
Now we'll move to Senator Grassley for 20 minutes.
Sen. Kennedy would be mindful to remember that he is on public display in these hearings. The Democrats couldn't stop Roberts because he left them completely befuddled. They could mount no sort of attack against Roberts to stop him, and the same thing is happening with Alito. These people have now decided that they are left with no alternatives. They're pulling out the stops, and they could care less about the professionalism that they've lacked since the start. Yesterday, Sen. Biden gave a long-winded diatribe that had little to do with questioning Alito on his judicial philosophy.
This has become a soapbox for the Democrats; it's one that they're falling through, and it's a long way down. They have completely cast aside the idea of professionalism in an effort to slime and smear a great jurist. This is bottom of the barrel politics at it's worst. As if it weren't bad enough that Sen. Kennedy decided he was going to throw his weight around, a line of questioning directed at Alito drove his wife from the chambers in tears.
That was uncalled for. And it's a mistake that may be irrepairable; you don't upset the nice, sweet lady standing behind her husband. Roberts wife looked perpetually bored during the hearings. Alito's wife has been attentive, smiling, and watching her husband spank these fools silly. Today was the turning point. And on the heels of this display today, I'm pushing for around a 75-25 split on Alito. He will win, but the more the Democrats keep digging themselves a hole, the worse this year is going to be for them. The scurrilous attacks on Alito will be the icing on the cake when it comes time for the election runs, and the Democrats are about to lose badly.
The ladies will be posting up some of the transcripts later tonight. Keep an eye out for them, folks.
Publius II
Noted blowhard, Sen. Edward Kennedy, decided that today, he was god of the Judiciary Committee. He made demands of the committee, and ultimately made an absolute ass out of himself. Thankfully, Sen. Specter reminded Sen. Kennedy just how small he really was.
KENNEDY: Last month, I sent a letter to Senator Specter asking a number of questions about your membership in CAP. And I asked Senator Specter make a formal committee request for the documents in the possession of the Library of Congress as part of the William Rusher papers. Mr. Rusher was the publisher of the National Review, was an active founder and leader of CAP.
Do you have any hesitancy or reason for us not to look at those documents?
ALITO: They're not my documents, Senator, and I have no opinion about it whatsoever.
KENNEDY: Do you think they'd be helpful?
ALITO: Senator, I don't believe I had any active involvement with this group.
I've wracked my memory and I can't recall anything. And if I had been involved actively in any way in the group, I'm sure that I would remember that.
KENNEDY: Well, Mr. Chairman, if I could have your attention, I think we ought to vote on issuing a subpoena to the custodian of those CAP records.
And I want to do that at an appropriate time. I'd move that the committee go into executive session for the purpose of voting on the issuancing of -- the sole purpose for issuing the subpoena of those records.
SPECTER: Well, we'll consider that, Senator Kennedy. There are many, many requests which are coming to me and many quarters. And, quite candidly, I view the request -- if it's really a matter of importance, you and I see each other all the time and you have never mentioned it to me.
And I do not ascribe a great deal of weight -- we actually didn't get a letter, but...
KENNEDY: You did get a letter. Are you saying...
SPECTER: Well, now wait a minute; you don't know what I got. I'm about to...
KENNEDY: Yes I do, Senator, since I sent it.
SPECTER: Well, the sender does not necessarily know what the recipient gets, Senator Kennedy. You are not in a position to say what I receive.
If you'll bear with me for one minute.
KENNEDY: But I am in a position to say what I sent to you on December 22.
SPECTER: You're in a position to tell me what you sent.
KENNEDY: I renew my request, Senator. And if I'm going to be denied, then I'd appeal the decision of the chair.
I think we are entitled to this information. It deals with the fundamental issues of equality and discrimination.
This nominee has indicated he has no objection to seeing us these issues. We've gone over the questions and we are entitled to get that kind of information. And if you're going to rule it out of order, I want to have a vote on that here on our committee.
SPECTER: Well, don't be premature, Senator Kennedy. I'm not about to make a ruling on this state of the record.
I hope you won't mind if I consider it, and I hope you won't mind if I give you the specifics that there was no letter which I received.
I take umbrage at your telling me what I received. I don't mind your telling me what you mailed. But there's a big difference between what's mailed and what's received. And you know that.
We're going to move on now.
Senator Grassley...
KENNEDY: Mr. Chairman, I'd appeal the ruling of the chair on this.
SPECTER: There has been no ruling of the chair, Senator Kennedy.
KENNEDY: Well what is the -- my request is that we go into the executive session for the sole purpose of voting on a subpoena for these records that are held over at the Library of Congress -- that purpose and that purpose only.
And if I'm going to be denied that, I'd want to give notice to the chair that you're going to hear it again and again and again and we're going to have votes of this committee again and again and again until we have a resolution.
I think it's...
SPECTER: Well, Senator Kennedy, I'm not concerned about your threats to have votes again, again and again. And I'm the chairman of this committee and I have heard your request and I will consider it.
And I'm not going to have you run this committee and decide when we're going to go into executive session.
We are in the middle of a round of hearings. This is the first time you have personally called it to my attention, and this is the first time that I have focused on it. And I will consider in due course.
Now we'll move to Senator Grassley for 20 minutes.
Sen. Kennedy would be mindful to remember that he is on public display in these hearings. The Democrats couldn't stop Roberts because he left them completely befuddled. They could mount no sort of attack against Roberts to stop him, and the same thing is happening with Alito. These people have now decided that they are left with no alternatives. They're pulling out the stops, and they could care less about the professionalism that they've lacked since the start. Yesterday, Sen. Biden gave a long-winded diatribe that had little to do with questioning Alito on his judicial philosophy.
This has become a soapbox for the Democrats; it's one that they're falling through, and it's a long way down. They have completely cast aside the idea of professionalism in an effort to slime and smear a great jurist. This is bottom of the barrel politics at it's worst. As if it weren't bad enough that Sen. Kennedy decided he was going to throw his weight around, a line of questioning directed at Alito drove his wife from the chambers in tears.
That was uncalled for. And it's a mistake that may be irrepairable; you don't upset the nice, sweet lady standing behind her husband. Roberts wife looked perpetually bored during the hearings. Alito's wife has been attentive, smiling, and watching her husband spank these fools silly. Today was the turning point. And on the heels of this display today, I'm pushing for around a 75-25 split on Alito. He will win, but the more the Democrats keep digging themselves a hole, the worse this year is going to be for them. The scurrilous attacks on Alito will be the icing on the cake when it comes time for the election runs, and the Democrats are about to lose badly.
The ladies will be posting up some of the transcripts later tonight. Keep an eye out for them, folks.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 5:56 PM
1 Comments:
It's too bad kennedy isn't reminded on the record, of his past transgressions such as being expelled from Harvard, drowning a girl, his exessive drinking...There's more to kennedy "demand" later on. He got what he wanted without a subpoena but You can bet there's nothing in them about Alito that would be damaging. kennedy apparently is trying to use guilt by association? Rawriter
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