The Alito confirmation hearings have ended. I listened to very nearly all of today’s testimony by a varied cast of characters pro and con. As far as I could tell it consisted mostly of people who were very concerned about what Alito might do on the one hand and those who knew him and worked with him testifying about what he had done on the other. The former at one point issued a very interesting charge against the latter, namely that they were prejudiced on the basis of actually knowing Alito and couldn’t be expected to make an unbiased judgment.
I’m listening to Arlen Specter right now. Apparently the Democratic committee members want to delay the Judiciary Committee vote by a week to what end is not completely clear to me. Presumably, they want to fire up media and public opposition to the nomination on the Sunday talking head programs. You can’t make bricks without straw and they’ve provided precious little straw during the hearings.
Unless something very dramatic happens Alito will be passed on to the Senate next week (or the week after if Democrats prevail in their desire for a delay) by the Judiciary Committee on a straight party-line vote and approved by the Senate by something very similar.
To what end? They cannot win now, and who knows what will happen in a week? At the least, they get one less week of Alito (whom they fear) making decisions on the Court. At most, something might come up that gives enough Senators a reason to vote against him. For the Democrats, it’s no lose.