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| Peggy Noonan on the Alito hearings |
| 2006-01-12 |
| Wall Street Jounral; EFL'd. Peggy gets out her little-used carving knife and goes after some of the pompous windbags of the World's Most Excrutiating Deliberative Body. The result is one of the finest takedowns you will ever read: The great thing about Joe Biden during the Alito hearings, the reason he is, to me, actually endearing, is that as he speaks, as he goes on and on and spins his long statements, hypotheticals, and free associations--as he demonstrates yet again, as he did in the Roberts hearings and even the Thomas hearings, that he is incapable of staying on the river of a thought, and is constantly lured down tributaries from which he can never quite work his way back--you can see him batting the little paddles of his mind against the weeds, trying desperately to return to the river but not remembering where it is, or where it was going. I love him. He's human, like a garrulous uncle after a drink. In this, in the hearings, he is unlike Ted Kennedy in that he doesn't seem driven by some obscure malice--Uh, I, uh, cannot, uh, remembuh why I hate you, Judge Alioto, but there, uh, must be a good reason and I will, um, damn well find it. When he peers over his glasses at Judge Alito he is like an old woman who's unfortunately senile and quite sure the teapot on the stove is plotting against her. Mr. Biden is also unlike Chuck Schumer in that he doesn't ask questions with an air of, With this one I'm going to trap you and leave you flailing like a bug in a bug zapper--we're going to hear your last little crackling buzz any minute now! But what interests me most is Judge Alito, and his ability to just sit there and listen. To show nothing, like a stunned ox, or, as Sen. Dianne Feinstein put in on CNN, like a person with clear judicial demeanor. How does he do it? This wonderful look of enforced blandness. It's a low affect tour de force. And it cannot be easy. When Mr. Biden says things like, "Try to follow me, Judge Alito," as he goes on one of his long, sterile journeys, I wonder if Judge Alito has to control himself with an act of will. I wonder if he has an inner Regis Philbin, and wants to throw out his arms and say, "Follow you? If I follow you, we'll both wind up lost!" When Mr. Biden says, "Now this is a somewhat subtle point," I wonder if Judge Alito wants to say, "Joe, if it were a subtle point you wouldn't be making it!" This is the authentic sound, though not the authentic words, of Joe Biden, and this is what Judge Alito has to discipline himself not to respond to: What if a fella--I'm just hypothesizing here, Judge Alito--what if a fella said, "Well I don't want to hire you because I don't like the kind of eyeglasses you wear," or something like that. Follow my thinking here. Or what if he says "I won't hire you because I don't like it that you wear black silk stockings and a garter belt. And your name is Fred." Strike that--just joking, trying to lighten this thing up, we can all be too serious. Every 10 years when you see me at one of these hearings I am different from every other member of Judiciary in that I have more hair than the last time. You know why? It's all the activity in my brain! It breaks through my skull and nourishes my follicles with exciting nutrients! Try to follow me. How does Judge Alito put up with this? How does any nominee? |
| Posted by:Snaimp Chomotle4704 |
| #5 great piece, but I'm still holding a grudge over her hit piece she wrote about Bush's democracy speech after his inauguration. It was a great speech and she panned it, exposing her own petty jealousy at the expense of the nation. I suppose everyone has a bad day and gets grumpy - but she lost my respect and will probably never earn it back. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-01-13 00:00 |
| #4 I've felt many emotions reading Peggy's columns: pride, anger, fear, comfort, and tears (both happy and sad), but this is the first time I've laughed. I didn't know she has such a razor-sharp wit. At the risk of overplaying her hand, I wish she'd wield that razor more often. |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2006-01-12 17:11 |
| #3 Done a little research, found a nice multi-cult lunch menu for the Ted, Chuck, Nancy and all the dems for the remainder of the hearing. Hot dogs are the specialty this week: http://www.smithappens.com/video_hotdoghomophobes.php |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-01-12 14:34 |
| #2 No one ever expects the Democratic Senatorial Inquisition! Mawhahahahahahaha! [apologizes to Monty Python] |
| Posted by: Glamble Elmeating6835 2006-01-12 14:26 |
| #1 LMAO - wickedly accurate! I had to quit watching - I began to realize I wasn't just thinking what a bunch of retarded demented fools and dyspeptic ulcers on the American body politic these DhimmiWitless wonder were - I was beginning to say it aloud. *bravo* Peggy! Thx, SC! |
| Posted by: .com 2006-01-12 12:40 |