Cry Me a Murder Board

The story about Borkemada's wife crying during the hearings is getting a lot of ink today, which is yet another sign of just how well the established news media is doing its job. One thing the stories on the tears seem to miss is that she started crying during Lindsay Graham's questioning, and Lindsay Graham helped prepare Alito for the hearings. Hmmm... that seems a little fishy, doesn't it?

Jane Hamsher writes about the incident:

It was an old trial attorney trick that Graham pulled out of his briefcase yesterday, and the NYTimes and the teevee media are lapping it up. Suckers.

The trick goes like this: when you have bad information about a witness who will be testifying for your side at trial, you get out in front with the information by bringing it out yourself rather than let the other side pull it out. That way, when the other side gets around to it, the bad stuff seems like old news.

You know -- the fact that CAP was a bigoted, white boys only club, kind of organization. The kind of group that thought it was appropriate to call a female student's mother to inform her that her Catholic daughter was using contraception...talk about respecting privacy rights and individual freedoms. Hoo boy!

Joseph Hughes writes (emphasis in original):The fact that the press fell all over itself to document the tears tells me exactly how seriously the Fourth Estate is taking these proceedings. Answer: Not seriously at all.

I understand that these hearings stretch long into the night, but this is only the third day, people. This whole "ordeal" will wrap up within a few days. I'm sorry, but if a week of extended questioning - it's not like the Republicans are grilling Alito - is too much for you, color me unsympathetic. This is a lifetime appointment.

Jeralyn Merritt writes:I also think Lindsay Graham has some explaining to do about his dual role as murder board coach and hearing officer.James Wolcott writes:Then Mrs. Alito suffered a case of the weepies that was so dramatically well-timed and patently maudlin that I was reminded of the classic stage direction in Private Eye (takes out onion, wipes away tear), and suddenly the proceedings turned into a soap opera with Fox News commentators arriving on cue to deplore the toll taken on innocent bystanders in these brutal proceedings. From their sympathetic clucks and disapproving tones you would have thought Alito had been subjected to a Stalinist show trial presided over by Randi Rhodes in a bad mood rather than honey-tongued Lindsey Graham asking Alito with tender solicitude, "Are you a bigot?" The whole thing stinks of being staged.

Tags: Judges (all tags)

Comments

13 Comments

Biden's comments
I don't usually like biden but I liked his comments on how these hearings are pointless if the nominee won't answer the questions.
by SensibleDemocrat 2006-01-12 06:21AM | 0 recs
I don't think the crying hurts Dems
For once they appear determined, strong and forceful and that can only be a good thing.
by Populism2008 2006-01-12 06:37AM | 0 recs
Re: I don't think the crying hurts Dems
Too bad the conservative biased media is spinning it that Alito was unflappable and stoic and he should be a slam dunk confirmation.  I Really don't like this guy.
by yitbos96bb 2006-01-12 08:28AM | 0 recs
Cheney's wife redux
Just a replay of Cheney's wife taking great offense at hearing her daughter was [gasp!] gay in public when Kerry dared to mention her.

Oh the insult!

Oh the difficulties of being the wife of a powerful Republican!

USA Today had a quarter page front-page photo of Alito's wife crying. The caption says "Emotion: Martha-Ann Alito reacts Wednesday at a hearing on her husbands nomination. She left the room in tears as a Republican Senator apologized for aggressive Democratic questioning."

Wow. The levels of inanity here are multiple and impressive.

Can't the wife of one of the Democratic Senators start crying? Why do only Republican wives cry if it is such a popular stunt!

by Curt Matlock 2006-01-12 06:47AM | 0 recs
Re: Cheney's wife redux
The Democratic Senators' wives have some dignity and self respect.
by yitbos96bb 2006-01-12 08:28AM | 0 recs
It's not everywhere
Neither major daily in Seattle bothered to put the crying on the front page. The articles on alito are pretty substantive. But the A1 headlines are on local issues at the moment.
by niq 2006-01-12 06:47AM | 0 recs
by liza 2006-01-12 07:02AM | 0 recs
Here a conspiracy, there a conspiracy
Keep chalking these things up to conspiracy.  Thats the easy answer.  We almost had him but then they put on this crying stunt.

There has been nothing substantitive come out in the hearings that give any concerns about Alito other than he is conservative.  Elections matter and conservative Presidents appoint conservative judges.

All the clamoring for the filibuster is very short sighted.  The next nomination will likely be even more critical than this one and removal of the filibuster is the real threat to tipping the court.

Alito has the O'Conner seat.  To suggest otherwise is simply self dilusional cheerleading.

by lynx 2006-01-12 07:07AM | 0 recs
Re: Here a conspiracy, there a conspiracy
If that is the way it has to go down, so be it.  But given that Alito wouldn't even pay the settled law lip service Roberts did on R v W, he has to be Filibustered.  If the GOP nukes the filibuster, then you do as Reid says and bring legislation to a halt.  They would be shortsighted to kill the filibuster as eventually there will be Democratic Presidents who nominate liberal justices, and they will have killed their ability to prevent it from happening.  

If the GOP does somehow miraculously hold on to the Congress through the next Presidential Election, and our guy gets elected... I wonder how fast they will re-institute the rules on nominees Hatch abandoned when Bush became President.  It was ok for Clinton, but not for Bush?  What BS...

by yitbos96bb 2006-01-12 08:34AM | 0 recs
What kind of a man
would humiliate his wife in public just to advance his career?

"Sammy, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Well, honey, you could break down in tears on national tv and look like a fool but I would never ask you to do anything like that. "

by desmoulins 2006-01-12 08:11AM | 0 recs
Cry me a river, Baby
I'm real sorry that your husband joined a ivy league hate group.

I'm real sorry the job at the Justice that got him the federal judgeship thats put in the position to be a SC Justice was procured by being a member of the ivy league hate group.  

CAP was the way Alito proved his conservative credentials, everything else was typical resume blather.  CAP makes you a Reaganite or Reaganaut.  It proves you are conservative to the core.  The people who lost power in 1980 wasn't the Democrats and progressives, it was the liberatarians within the GOP.  You don't get a pass on a momnet of choice like that.

Personally, the guy is the worst kind of liar, one of convenience and ulility.

by kmwray 2006-01-12 11:47AM | 0 recs
by poutria 2006-07-24 09:16AM | 0 recs
by posco 2006-08-01 07:51AM | 0 recs

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