Posted on 01/10/2006 8:57:57 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito so far hasn't earned the outcry from opponents who are hoping to put him on the hook the way failed nominee Robert Bork was in 1987, but neither has the candidate gained the support of any senators sitting on the fence.
With no bombshells dropped through day two of the weeklong confirmation hearing, Democrats who voted against Chief Justice John Roberts in September appear equally dissatisfied with Alito, while Republicans so far seem ready to support the nominee.
And after a full day Tuesday of dismantling his opponents' loudest arguments against him, in the end, it was a Republican ally who threw the most unexpected curves, leaving Alito navigating some touchy issues that are likely to come before the high court.
"Can you show me an example in American jurisprudence where the question of status, whether a person was a lawful combatant or an unlawful combatant, was decided by a court and not the military?" asked Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose bombardment of questions often cut off Alito in mid-response.
"I can't think of an example," Alito said, looking flustered for the first time all day. "I can't say that I am able to survey the whole history of this issue, but I....”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
OMG - whoever wrote that title has an absolute sick sense of humor (and I love it!)
Lindsey was a JAG attorney don't cha know.
I've tried cases with Lindsey. I assure you he has superb cross-examination technique. What he was trying to accomplish here, however, is beyond me.
Fricking Graham STFU! Babbling borderline RINO I don't know why Hannity keeps having him on his show.
Did you not listen to his speech?
He was actually trying to defend the president's policy of enemy combatants.
He even cited cases where in a time of war, people could be held indefinitely.
He wasn't attacking the judge at all, just trying to drill home the need for the POTUS to exercise authority during wartime. He was trying to understand whether Alito feels the same.
You obviously didn't listen to his speech and understand what he was doing.
Sometimes the guy gets on my nerves, but he was defending Bush today.
If you go somewhere with Teddy, you better know how to swim.
Lindsey is a master at making witnesses look and sound flustered. Seems to me he needs to tone it down. He's working at cross purposes if his questions have the effect of making Alito look and sound ill-prepared.
He was making the point that the military (and CIC) are the ones to determine whether someone is an enemy combatant - NOT THE COURTS! Its the power of the Presidency, not some Clinton appointed judge with an agenda (See also Padilla)
I heard him on Sean Hannity yesterday and he seemed very supportive of Alito, just FYI.
Because Graham is trying to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of conservatives. He sounds like a typical forked-tongue politician to me.
Oh please.... And who would they be?
Agreed.
Most of what Linsey did today was political. We also see that Bush has not annointed a successor, and right now there is a scramble to either appear to be a Pubbie moderate ( RINOs) or a supporter and "continuator" of current Presidential policies. Graham is a continuator, so does he have a chance at securing the nomination in 2008? He still has time to make the attempt and perhaps we are seeing his first public sally in that direction.
Agree.
I've been trying to figure out why Hannity has a show.
My impression is that he was trying to pre-empt possible attacks on Alito re his support for certain executive branch prerogatives during armed conflict. The democrats have made much of Bush's supposed denial of detainees "rights," so after this exchange between Graham and Alito, the ball would appear to be in the democrats' court.
Exactly. See post 18. I don't know how the Fox "analyst" could have missed this.
still say lindy boy is a little light in the loafers, of well, don't ask don't tell
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