Kennedy and Specter Have At It Over Alito

[kerrygoddess]

Kennedy and Specter Have At It Over Alito
January 11th, 2006

Ted Kennedy and Arlen Specter had at it today over Alito’s membership in Concerned Alumni of Princeton (which Alito says he does not remember belonging to) and his request to release the records.



Kennedy issued Specter a major smack down, over a letter he sent Specter regarding the release of the records, that Specter denied getting. After their run in Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced that he “had arranged for the release of the group’s records.”

Here’s a quip from the transcript:

KENNEDY: And I want to do that at an appropriate time. I’d move that the committee go into executive session for the purpose of voting on the issuancing of — the sole purpose for issuing the subpoena of those records.

SPECTER: Well, we’ll consider that, Senator Kennedy. There are many, many requests which are coming to me and many quarters. And, quite candidly, I view the request — if it’s really a matter of importance, you and I see each other all the time and you have never mentioned it to me.

And I do not ascribe a great deal of weight — we actually didn’t get a letter, but…

KENNEDY: You did get a letter. Are you saying…

SPECTER: Well, now wait a minute; you don’t know what I got. I’m about to…

KENNEDY: Yes I do, Senator, since I sent it.

SPECTER: Well, the sender does not necessarily know what the recipient gets, Senator Kennedy. You are not in a position to say what I receive.

If you’ll bear with me for one minute.

KENNEDY: But I am in a position to say what I sent to you on December 22.

SPECTER: You’re in a position to tell me what you sent.

KENNEDY: I renew my request, Senator. And if I’m going to be denied, then I’d appeal the decision of the chair.
I think we are entitled to this information. It deals with the fundamental issues of equality and discrimination.
This nominee has indicated he has no objection to seeing us these issues. We’ve gone over the questions and we are entitled to get that kind of information. And if you’re going to rule it out of order, I want to have a vote on that here on our committee.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1620

[acmavm]

1. Teddy has been an absolute hero in these hearings. He may not be

able to stop Scalito being appointed, but it won't be for the lack of trying.

[CountAllVotes]

2. what a fine man with a lot of guts!

:kick:

[izzie]

3. Good for Ted.

This guy will have back to 1850

[ginnyinWI]

4. Way to go, Sen Kennedy! He knows what he's doing.

A dust-up is just the thing to get the issue covered on cable news! The sheeple need to know what's going on. :thumbsup:

A few female callers on Cspan are scolding, school-marm style saying that Teddy is a disgrace. Heehee.

[louis-t]

5. Yeah, how DARE he do his job?

I am so sick of listening to the Repug members of the committee spend first 10 minutes of their Q and A kissing Alito's ass.

[Plausible]

6. rethug minions n/t

[spooky3]

7. Those school marms need a lesson in history.

I suggest that they look up the evidence on Specter's appallingly sexist treatment of issues during the Clarence Thomas hearings. And look at how well that appointment has turned out :sarcasm:.

Specter must be challenged and cannot be assumed to be a fair and even-handed chair.

From Anita Hill's book:

"The tension between Senator Specter and me was measurable. The process seemed to break down completely. Senator Specter would repeat the same questions until he got the answer he wanted.... To the press and spectators, we must have sounded silly and ill tempered. More than one sigh erupted from the seats behind me as Specter returned to the questioning and I once more gave my explanation. Clearly, neither of us would budge from our position.

Something in the back of my head said, 'Just say what he wants you say and get on with it.' But I was much too stubborn to do that. And the more he pursued it, the more inclined I was to resist. Digging in was, perhaps, for me one way of hanging on to some amount of my dignity. By now I knew that his questions were both insincere and ill informed. Though I tried to answer him, I was equally determined that the senator not put words in my mouth.

With every question he asked, it became clearer that despite any declaration to the contrary, he viewed me as an adversary. Rather than seeking to elicit information, his questioning sought to elicit a conclusion that he had reached before the hearing began.""

http://www.geocities.com/justicewell/specter.htm

[jillan]

8. Teddy has got the Republiecans pissed

Way to go Uncle Ted! Keep it up, the repugs are calling you a disgrace which means you are doing a kiss-ass job.

[porkrind]

9. I was listening to NPR

and they were doing a fluff piece on how hard it must be for Alito to sit through all those hearing and not get tired or fidget. This is the kind of insightful coverage we get from the media. I turned it off in disgust. Anyway, it's great that Kennedy doesn't let these wingnut fascists go unchallenged.

[kerrygoddess]

10. Video available if anyone missed it

Kennedy rips into Specter - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1620

[Rainscents]

11. I found this!

http://kennedy.senate.gov/~kennedy/statements/05/12/2005C22A45.html

[Peace Patriot]

12. Ted Kennedy is an absolutely wonderful Senator, and expereinced...

...parliamentary hand, and a great, great speaker. I was very impressed with him during other nomination hearings this year--Gonzales, Rice. He was brilliant. I love the Irish tradition of politicians having to be well-spoken, literate, clear, and moving in their speeches and in public debate, and I love the great progressive tradition of the Kennedy family. His nephew Robert Kennedy, Jr. is also a firebrand--another brilliant one.

With Ted, I can't imagine the pain he has felt, and the fear he has had to overcome. Just think what this man has been through, both brothers slaughtered on American soil, at the height of their political powers. That he can speak a coherent word, and can keep himself going from day to day, is an achievement. That he has become such an eloquent spokesman for the true mainstream of this country--the great majority of peace-loving and justice-loving Americans--is something of a miracle. I have great admiration for him. What an amazing man!

[samhsarah]

13. kick his ass teddy. nt