Catholic Ragemonkey

Tetanus Shots Required for Alito Hearings
Folks, I am sorry. I generally try to avoid comments regarding the political realm, but I just can't stand it any more. Our political leaders are largely weak in virtue, uninspired by the truth, and devoted to the cult of self. And I say that generally about politicians of any and all political parties. Very few of our elected officials offer me much inspiration.

With that description, I ought not be surprised that the Alito confirmation hearing is a circus. I don't for a second believe that the Senators on the Judiciary Committee or the other members of the Senate have much of an open mind regarding Alito's nomination. I would hazard the guess that most Senators decided on their vote for or against Alito some time ago. The sad thing is that I am surprised and disturbed by the spectacle of the hearing (sad in a certain sense because my emotional response is a waste of my energy).

I find that most of the Senator's questions which I have heard on the television reveal that they, as members of the legislative body charged with making laws, believe they also have the authority to properly interpret the Constitution, thereby keeping any judge who disagrees with their interpretation off the bench as far as is politically possible. They seem to think that they themselves are also members of the judicial branch. They whine about checks and balances and they froth at the mouth about checking the executive power of the President, the whole while overstepping their legislative role as they try to ensure that members of the judicial branch will serve them and their ideology as legislators. I find it disingenuous. The type of questions asked of Alito reveal a myopic obsession on the part of many Senators. Such Senators strike me as simply fighting mad that George W. Bush occupies the White House and they want to make Alito's entire service on the bench revolve around Bush's real or perceived extension of executive privilege, as if even a noticeable fraction of cases that would come before a Justice Alito would have to do with executive actions over the course of the war in Iraq. Please!

Senators are foaming at the mouth and insulting us with their lack of logic. I will say that I found my own Senator Coburn's remarks yesterday promising in that he debunked much of the pro-abortion rhetoric. Looks like it is time for tetanus shots in Washington, D.C.