My Impressions of the Alito Hearings

I spent most of my waking hours today watching the Alito confirmation hearings. Mostly, this was a canine and equestrian extravaganza but I was left with 2 prevailing impressions. The first was how much the abortion issue shapes the debate. Second was the embarrassing ineptitude of most of the senators.

First, let's talk abortion. I'm not going to talk about my personal viewpoint because that's really not the issue as I see it. What blows my mind is how this one event has become the litmus test of a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Doesn't that seem a bit incongruous to either side of the political fence? It seems that every other topic, every other competency falls by the way side when measured against this one. Okay, this is an important issue, especially for women. But otherwise qualified people may never be confirmed to the bench because of this one thing. When did abortion supercede all other concerns? How has this one issue come to dominate the judicial landscape? I don't know. With so many topics out there that have much greater relevance to how we live our lives now and in the future, I just don't believe that this is the right place to put so much energy.

Okay. Politicians don't have to be competent administrators, managers or leaders. They don't have to build concensus. They don't have to visionaries. To be successful, they only have be good at one thing and one thing alone. Getting elected. Every time I hear one of our Senators talk, I'm usually stunned by the abysmally low cognitive ability of the senators from either party. Watching these hearings, what's clear is that people on the Judicial Committee have already made their decisions. This whole thing is just for show. But beginning with Roberts and continuing with Alito, it's painfully obvious how much smarter both these men are than any of the Senators on the Committee. Watching Biden speak was like getting my catheter removed. The whole thing felt like it took much longer than it actually did. Biden went on for 12 minutes before asking a single question. He did the same thing with Roberts but got spanked and didn't even realize it. How are we supposed to learn about a nominee if he's not given a chance to talk? But then it's not about that. When the cameras are on, the Senators are looking for sound bites. I guarantee these hearings will change nobody's mind about Judge Alito. This is just an opportunity for the Senators to get some face time.

Why would any competent man want to be a politician short of thirst for power? I still remember what one of my mentors told me after I asked him how he could put President Bush on hold. "Politicians, even presidents, are just temporary help."