Demagogue

After the first full day of Alito's hearings, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank observed:

(Judiciary Committee) Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) ... who earlier characterized the Roe v. Wade decision as a "super-duper" precedent, asked Alito if he agreed that another case upholding Roe was "a super-precedent."

... (Alito said:) "Any sort of categorization like that sort of reminds me of the size of the laundry detergent in the supermarket."

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), in his first 12 minutes of questioning the nominee, managed to get off only one question. Instead, during his 30-minute round of questioning, Biden spoke about his own Irish American roots, his "Grandfather Finnegan," his son's application to Princeton ... a speech the senator gave on the Princeton campus, the fact that Biden is "not a Princeton fan," and his views on the eyeglasses of Sen. Dianne Feinstein ...

... Republicans vied to lob softballs to the nominee .... "Can you assure us that you will have the courage and the determination to rule according to your best and highest judgment?" challenged Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.).

... (Sen. Orrin Hatch) called ROTC programs "an excellent opportunity" and then asked (Alito): "You were a member of the ROTC -- is that true?"

Alito was caught. "I was, Senator."

"You were a proud member of the ROTC," Hatch charged.

"I was," the nominee admitted.

Hatch persisted: "Did you enjoy your time in the ROTC and in the Army afterward?"

For chrissakes, this is supposed to be the greatest deliberative, democratic body in the world?