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I have a bone to pick with E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post. Dionne recently published an opinion column in the Washington Post, criticizing Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito’s reaction to President Obama’s State Of The Union rebuke. Alito shaking his head back and forth and mouthing the words “not true” showed, according to Dionne, an “inability to restrain himself.” Dionne claims that Alito’s reaction demonstrates that the Court is run by a “highly politicized conservative majority”. Further, he cites an anti-abortion editorial published and written in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan as a precedent that validates Obama coming down...

I’m sure you all remember South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson, and his infamous outburst during Obama’s health care address to congress. During the address Wilson loudly shouted “you lie,” after Obama denied that the proposed health care legislation would provide coverage to illegal aliens currently residing in the United States. Which was, in fact, a lie.

While the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts are preparing to go head-to-head in Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, U.S. justices and even our president are squaring off in arenas of jurisprudence from sea to shining sea. Here are just a few recent examples: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito shook his head in dismay and mouthed the words “not true” when President Barack Obama rebutted the entire Supreme Court in the justices’ presence and before the whole nation during his State of the Union speech. The president alleged that the court “reversed a century...

Senate Democrats, taking a cue from President Obama, are ripping into Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for his understandable (and understated) display of disagreement with the president's misrepresentation of a recent court decision. During last week's State of the Union Address, recall, Obama launched into an unpresidential attack on the court's upending of the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance act. Obama incorrectly claimed the ruling -- in which Alito joined the 5-4 majority -- would permit foreign corporate campaign contributions in US elections.

Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) called for a sharp rebuke of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s behavior at the “State of the Union” address given by President Barack Obama. During the President’s remarks characterizing a recent Supreme Court decision as a threat to democracy, Justice Alito was observed to be shaking his head and silently mouthing the words “not true.” “President Obama is the one who was elected by the people to rule this country,” Feingold said. “Obstructing the governance of this country through bad judicial decisions or by letting himself be seen publicly disagreeing with the president is the type...

A top White House adviser says it's gotten to the point where almost any unusual reaction or outburst to a speech by President Barack Obama in the House chamber isn't really that unusual. Obama aide David Axelrod was talking about Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's reaction to Obama's State of the Union address last week. The justice made a dismissive face, shook his head repeatedly and appeared to mouth the words "not true" or possibly "simply not true" when Obama criticized the high court over a campaign finance ruling. Axelrod says that "in this weird political season, we have become...

<p>A top White House adviser says it's gotten to the point where almost any unusual reaction or outburst to a speech by President Barack Obama in the House chamber isn't really that unusual.</p> <p>Obama aide David Axelrod was talking about Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's reaction to Obama's State of the Union address last week.</p>

CBS legal correspondent Jan Crawford doesn’t go quite that far, but she gets pretty close when she admits at the end that Barack Obama “overstated” the impact of Citizens United v FEC. Well … yeah. Katie Couric and Crawford mull over the big takeaway moment from the State of the Union speech, focusing far more on the tradition of stoic non-response of Supreme Court justices during SOTU speeches than the tradition of refraining from attacking the justices in the speech itself. Even at that, Couric notes that this is the most brazen attack by a President against the Court since...

President Obama’s State of the Union obviously was a first in more than one way. Obama point blank, called out (to use the modern vernacular) our Supreme Court Justices on national TV. He did so because he politically disagreed with their legal decision. In doing so, Obama demonstrated his supreme arrogance – and let America know just how far he is willing to go to get his way.

The Liar in Chief showed his arrogance by chastising the Senate for defeating his bill to spend more money, to create a commission on government spending, that won’t even start until 2011 and has no teeth. Congress controls spending, taxing and the deficit. That whole “Constitution” thing just keeps getting in the way. The Tony Soprano moment of the speech came when he said he would issue an executive order to circumvent the legislative leg of the peoples government. Last night the man-child president showed his fangs multiple times and it was ugly. He insists on forcing health care on...

It is not unusual for presidents to disagree publicly with Supreme Court decisions. But they tend to do so at news conferences and in written statements, not to the justices’ faces. President George W. Bush, for instance, did not hesitate to criticize a 2008 ruling recognizing the rights of prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba — but he did it at a news conference in Rome. President Richard M. Nixon said he was disappointed with a 1974 decision ordering him to turn over the tapes that would help end his presidency — in a statement read by his lawyer. President...

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito let a pained expression cross his face and muttered, "Not true." He was reacting to President Obama's description of the high court's ruling in the Citizens United case, and he was entirely right. But the words aptly sum up the entire State of the Union Address. In a demogogic bid to score populist points, Obama claimed that the decision striking down restrictions on corporate spending opened "the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations -- to spend without limit in our elections." In fact, the justices explicitly left untouched a statute that bans election...

I popped off with a wise crack one day during a classroom lecture in seventh grade. The year was 1959. I don’t even remember what I said now, but several of my classmates laughed aloud. Instead of telling me to stop by his desk for a little chat following dismissal, the teacher had me stand and hold a stack of books in each hand, arms fully extended from my sides. When I was in what he thought was enough pain and embarrassment for my transgression I was allowed to sit down. I recall feeling shame beyond words as my classmates...

Last night for the very first time, I watched the State Of The Union speech given by President Barak Obama via You Tube online on my new computer. What took place last night was what I called a lieapolloseia or a pure lies festival as well as trying to be all things, which made the first SOTU speech by President Obama laughable.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) sharply criticized Samuel Alito's reaction to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, calling the conservative Supreme Court justice’s behavior “inappropriate.” During last night's address, Obama took aim at the Supreme Court's decision to gut campaign finance restrictions for corporations and labor unions. While Supreme Court justices typically maintain stoic dispositions during State of the Union addresses, Alito, who joined the 5-4 opinion, appeared to mouth the words “not true” as Obama spoke. "That's not very judicial of him," Feingold told POLITICO. "Apparently, he thinks he gets to make the law. He should maintain his...

There was the president, and there were six members of the Supreme Court. The few words from the one to the others went by quickly. The president’s tone was mild compared to the animation in some other parts of the speech, and I thought he looked momentarily awkward. But maybe I was just projecting. Mr. Obama’s words were sharp, echoing his earlier criticism of the court’s decision last week in the Citizens United case to strike down the limits that the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law placed on independent political expenditures by corporations and unions. The decision would “open the floodgates...

January 28, 2010 White House v. the Supreme Court By DAVID KIRKPATRICK The White House is trying to back up President Obama’s side after a rare moment of dispute with Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. was captured on camera during last night’s State of the Union. Justice Alito stole a sliver of the limelight during the president’s address, when he was seen shaking his head and mouthing “No, it’s not true” as Mr. Obama criticized a recent Supreme Court campaign finance ruling. The president, a former teacher of constitutional law, had asserted that the ruling, known informally as...

When Massachusetts elected Senator Scott Brown it was the Scott heard round the world. When Barack Obama attacked the Supreme Court of these United States for upholding Constitutional Law in his State of the Union lecture, it was Obama being a 3rd world thug. When Justice Sam Alito responded to Obama with "NOT TRUE", as the maniacal mob of Democrats were jeering and having bodily secretions like at a cock fight, it was an American Patriot in Sam Alito rekindling the words, "Don't Tread on Me!" This is not about protocols in what Obama did in smashing the decorum of...

For the first time in U.S. history a sitting President has used the State-of-the-Union speech to slam the U.S. Supreme Court--one of the three branches of the federal government. Even FDR in his rage over the Court's many decisions that declared his programs unconstitutional did not dare take a swipe at the Justices during a State-of-the-Union speech. Given the historic nature of the Obama attack, one would think that the issue at hand is one of extreme national significance that represents the outrage of Congress and the citizens concerning a Court ruling. Not in this case. The issue is restoring...

The White House says President Barack Obama was accurate when he took on a Supreme Court ruling in the State of the Union address, even though Justice Samuel Alito mouthed, “Not true.” Alito’s protest came when the president said: “With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests — including foreign corporations — to spend without limit in our elections. (Applause.) … And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems.” A...