Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, right, along with his wife Martha look on during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, Monday, Jan. 9, 2006.

Reuters: Democrats force delay on high court nominee vote

Democrats on Monday forced a one-week delay on a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, but the 55-year-old conservative was still expected to be confirmed by the full Republican-led Senate.

Still, the Democratic action ended hopes by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, to have President George W. Bush’s nominee confirmed by the end of this week for a seat on the nation’s highest court.

“The Democrats’ decision to delay … is unjustified and desperate partisan obstructionism,” Frist said in a statement.

“Despite these tactics, Judge Alito remains on track to be confirmed as Justice Alito,” Frist said. “A Justice delayed will not be a Justice denied.”

The Senate Democrats do NOT have the votes to block Alito’s confirmation. So, they have to be JERKS and pull an immature delay stunt.

How juvenile…….

Alito WILL BE CONFIRMED but after another senseless week of delay……

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Samuel Alito Watch: Senator Dianne Feinstein Warns Against Filibuster

Technorati Tags: SamuelAlito, SupremeCourt, DianneFeinstein, SenateJudiciaryCommittee, BillFrist, GeorgeW.Bush

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito takes his seat as his son Philip passes behind him during the third day of his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, January 11, 2006.

ASSociated Press: Feinstein Warns Against Alito Filibuster

A Democrat who plans to vote against Samuel Alito sided on Sunday with a Republican colleague on the Senate Judiciary Committee in cautioning against a filibuster of the Supreme Court nominee.

“I do not see a likelihood of a filibuster,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. “This might be a man I disagree with, but it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be on the court.”

She said she will not vote to confirm the appeals court judge, based on his conservative record. But she acknowledged that nothing emerged during last week’s hearings to justify any organized action by Democrats to stall the nomination.

“If there’s a filibuster of this man based on his qualifications, there would be a huge backlash in this country,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. He is one of 14 centrist senators who defused the Senate’s showdown over judicial filibusters last year, saying such a tactic is justified only under extraordinary circumstances.

No, Senator Graham it would mean that if you do not have a political philosophy palatable to the minority Democrats and their amen choir special interests – spelled abortion industry that a citizen has NO chance of sitting on the United States Supreme Court.

If the Democrats filibuster, the Gang of 14 would vote cloture with the majority Republicans enabling an up or down majority vote. And, yes, there would be a backlash.

But Feinstein, who said she was concerned about Alito’s conservative record on abortion rights and deference to executive power, acknowledged the 15-year appellate judge had the legal credentials to serve on the Supreme Court.

“I was impressed with his ability to maintain a very even demeanor,” she said on CBS'”Face the Nation.”

“I think there is an additional weight you must give to his background, his qualifications and his ability,” she said.

Additional weight? Feinstein is a clueless partisan who must appease the Democrat special interest groups who will fund her re-election campaign in California this year. Judge Alito is a especially well qualified jurist with over 15 years on the federal appellate court bench.

But, then again, she really could self-fund her own re-election campaign since her husband’s (Richard Blum) company received that $600 million Iraq War contract – sheesh.

Feinstein is floating/promoting this trial balloon so that her special interest friends will not squander their resources on television ad buys when Feinstein and the Democrat caucus are resigned to the fact that Alito will be confirmed.

Captain Ed at Captain’s Quarters has more on the Democrat White Flag of Surrender on Alito: Feinstein: Forget The Filibuster

Dianne Feinstein stuck a fork into Democratic plans to delay the Alito confirmation earlier today, officially running up a white flag in the Democrats’ war on judicial nominations for the time being. The California Senator and one of the few Judiciary Democrats to not embarrass herself during the hearings disregarded the advice of her leadership and declared that Samuel Alito deserves his up-or-down vote from the full Senate….

Technorati Tags: SamuelAlito, SupremeCourt, DianneFeinstein, LindseyGraham, RichardBlum

US Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito answers questions on his fourth, and likely final day of hearings before Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Alito said US law is unclear as to whether President George W. Bush could launch a military invasion of Iran or Syria without congressional approval.

Reuters: Democrats take last jabs at Alito

Democrats pressed a final time for more definitive answers from U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito as a third day of questioning got under way before a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday.

The conservative Alito headed toward anticipated confirmation, however, despite continued wrangling with Democrats who fear he will steer the nation’s highest court to the right on abortion, civil rights and other issues.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, started the day by reporting a search of records demanded by Democrats found no mention of Alito in a controversial Princeton University alumni group — an issue some Democrats hammered away at in earlier questioning.

The questioning is OVER. No gaffs, no mistakes, no conflicts.

An excellent Judge.

UP or DOWN VOTE – CONFIRM ALITO!

Michelle Malkin has ALITO WATCH: THE DEAD HORSE DEMOCRATS

Technorati Tags: SamuelAlito, Alito, SupremeCourt

Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del.., jokingly puts on a Princeton Tigers cap during Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito’s confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006.

ASSociated Press: Sen. Biden Suggests Scrapping Hearings

Supreme Court nominees are so mum about the major legal issues at their Senate confirmation hearings that the hearings serve little purpose and should probably be abandoned, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden said Thursday.

“The system’s kind of broken,” said Biden, a member of the Judiciary Committee considering the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito.

“Nominees now, Democrat and Republican nominees, come before the United States Congress and resolve not to let the people know what they think about the important issues,” such as a president’s authority to go to war, said Biden.

As the committee headed into its fourth day of hearings on the Alito nomination, Biden told NBC’s “Today” show that a better solution might be to skip hearings and send nominations straight to the Senate floor for a vote.

“Just go to the Senate floor and debate the nominee’s statements,” the Delaware senator said, “instead of this game.”

Senator Slow Joe is tired of being portrayed as a FOOL.

Bet his polling numbers for the would-be Presidential candidate are NOT favorable.

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Senator Joe Biden Watch: THE WAFFLE

Iraq War Watch: Biden – Supports Phased Withdrawl of Troops

Samuel Alito Watch: Chance of Filibuster

Technorati Tags: JoeBiden, Biden, SamuelAlito, Alito, SupremeCourt

Supporters greet Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, right, as he arrives on day three of his confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006 in Washington.

AP: Alito Turns Aside Democrats’ Criticism

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito turned aside Democratic attacks on his judicial record and credibility at contentious confirmation hearings Wednesday that left his wife in tears.

If I’m confirmed I’ll be myself,” said Alito, a 15-year veteran of a federal appeals court, named to succeed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor for a swing seat on the high court.

Challenged by Democrats, Alito repeatedly said he had no memory of involvement with the conservative Concerned Alumni of Princeton, though he highlighted his membership in a 1985 job application for the Reagan administration.

He repudiated the opinions expressed in articles in the organization’s magazine. “They’re not my views … I deplore them,” he said of writing that contained material that was racist, sexist and homophobic.

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito takes his seat as his son Philip passes behind him during the third day of his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, January 11, 2006.

The snarky Senate Democrats attempted to paint Judge Alito with the BIGOT BRUSH but ended up looking like FOOLS.

There is NO THERE – THERE with the Concerend Alumni of Princeton.

Judge Alito is NOT a BIGOT but a respected highly qualified jurist.

Michelle Malkin: SHAME, SHAME ON THE DEMS

Yes, the relentless pounding of Judge Alito’s reputation unnerved and upset his wife.

Should they be ashamed?

You betcha – but Senators like Ted Kennedy have NO SHAME – look at his LIFE and the poor girl he left in the water to DIE……what do you expect from him?

Senator Lindsey Graham has it RIGHT but the Democrats are DESPERATE to DEFEAT Alito.

Judge Alito is on an unstoppable train to confirmation.

Nuclear option?

Bring it ON!

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Samuel Alito Watch: 2nd Day of Confirmation Hearings – Is he UNSTOPPABLE?

Samuel Alito Watch: Concerned Alumni of Princeton and Democrat Desperation – Witness PULLED

Samuel Alito Watch: Concerned Alumni of Princeton and Democrat Desperation

Judge Samuel Alito Gains the American Bar Association’s Highest Rating for a Supreme Court Nominee

Technorati Tags: SamuelAlito, SupremeCourt, Alito, TedKennedy

Supporters greet Supreme Court justice nominee Samuel Alito as he arrives for the second day of his confirmation hearings in Washington, January 10, 2006.

AP: Alito Pleases GOP Senators, Not Democrats

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito picked his way carefully Tuesday through the issues of abortion and warrantless wiretapping, satisfying Senate Republicans at his confirmation hearings but provoking Democratic expressions of displeasure.

The Bill of Rights applies “in times of war and in times of national crisis,” the 55-year-old appeals court judge said, although he declined to specify whether President Bush acted properly in ordering wiretaps without warrants in selected cases as part of the war on terror.

Asked repeatedly about abortion, he assured the Senate Judiciary Committee he would first take previous rulings into account. At the same time, he stressed that precedent, including the landmark 1973 decision establishing a woman’s right to end her pregnancy, is not binding on the high court.

“I would approach the question with an open mind and I would listen to the arguments that were made,” said Alito, who wrote two decades ago that he did not believe the Constitution includes the right to an abortion.

No major gaffs and the Senate Democrats look like a group of mental midgets compared to Judge Alito.

Samuel Alito is NO Harriet Miers.

Michelle Malkin has a good round-up of pieces, ALITO WATCH: DAY 2

So, is Judge Samuel Alito unstoppable for confirmation to the United State Supreme Court?

You betcha……the Democrats will NOT DARE to filibuster and if the do……..NUCLEAR OPTION.

Technorati Tags: SamuelAlito, SupremeCourt, UnitedStatesSupremeCourt,

DailyPrinceton.com: CAP critic dropped from Alito witness list

An alumnus tapped by Democrats to testify in next week’s Senate hearings on Samuel Alito ’72 will no longer appear, removing the only witness slated to speak specifically about a controversial conservative alumni group of which Alito was a member.

Stephen Dujack ’76, an environmental writer, had been outspoken in his condemnation of the group, Concerned Alumni of Princeton, which during the 1970s criticized the University’s move to coeducation and adoption of affirmative action. Opponents of Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court had seized on his membership in the group to show that he is out-of-step with mainstream America on core issues.

Though it wasn’t immediately clear why Dujack was removed from the Democrats’ witness list, some observers believe he was vulnerable to attacks over an April 2003 Los Angeles Times column he wrote that compared animals killed in slaughterhouses with victims of the Holocaust.

The piece written by Dujack: Alito needs to shed his CAP

Almost 20 years ago, the Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) collapsed like a modern House of Usher, so rotten from within from its own deceptions and peculiar madness that it could no longer sustain its own weight. For Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito ’72, the reappearance of CAP in the national press last week because he included it on that now infamous 1985 job application must have been as shocking as the reappearance of Roderick Usher’s dead twin sister in Poe’s famous story.

Or, it should have been. At the very least, Judge Alito will have to explain to the Senate Judiciary Committee why he paid dues to an outfit whose modus operandi was deceit and dirty tricks. He will have to explain how he permitted himself to belong to an organization that was overtly racist and sexist for its entire 14-year existence ­— at times passionately so, too.

Dujack is a LEFTIE NUT CASE and after outing the Democrats pulled him to avoid embarassment.

This entire issue of CAP is ludicrous.

But….. the Democrats are DESPERATE to defeat Alito.

Stay tuned……..

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Samuel Alito Watch: Concerned Alumni of Princeton and Democrat Desperation

Technorati Tags: SamuelAlito, ConcernedAlumniofPrinceton, SupremeCourt, StephenDujack