01/14/2006
The Envelope Please.....Alito Hearing Week Awards
PEOPLE FOR THE ALITO WAY
(WASHINGTON , DC ) – People for the Alito Waytoday released a list of
awards for those Senators who truly distinguished themselves during the
nomination hearing of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Congratulations to
all the winners!
Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) “It’s All About Me” Award
Senator Joe Biden holds the record this week for asking the longest
questions of the entire hearing, and that’s saying something! In one
thirty-minute session, Biden spoke for 24 minutes and Alito gave a six
minute answer. In other words, “Enough about me, now, what did YOU think of
my last question?” Biden also may hold a some kind of record for referring
to himself once every 12 seconds, five times each minute, for a grand total
of 360 times in 70 minutes of questioning. The donning of the Princeton cap
deserves special mention in a fleeting attempt to obtain “Visual of the
Day.” Congratulations, Senator Biden!
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) “A Bridge Too Far” Award
Senator Ted Kennedy truly distinguished himself this week -- poorly. His
bloviating this week was pure torture – worse than water-boarding. Senator
Kennedy went the extra mile by ignoring his own ethical missteps as a member
of the “Owl Club”. According to Charles Hurt at the Washington Times, “Sen.
Edward M. Kennedy belongs to a social club for Harvard students and alumni
that was evicted from campus nearly 20 years ago after refusing to allow
female members…..The club has long been reviled on campus as "sexist" and
"elitist" and, in 1984, was booted from the university for violating federal
anti-discrimination laws, authored by Mr. Kennedy.” Despite all of this and
much, much more, Kennedy was determined to demand answers “again, and again,
and again…” Senator Specter threw cold water on that idea. But for his
efforts, this award is proudly conferred upon Senator Ted Kennedy.
Congratulations, Senator Kennedy!
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) “Groundhog Day” Award
In Schumer’s world the time clock for questions always says 20 minutes…
Judge Alito keeps hearing the same question over and over and over and…if
you look in the dictionary under “redundant” it says, “see redundant”
(perhaps with a picture of Senator Schumer.) For being the “Energizer Bunny”
of the Judiciary Committee, so determined to grind Alito into the carpet
that he keeps going and going and going, this award is aptly given to
Senator Charles Schumer. Congratulations, Senator Schumer!
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) “Cheesehead” Award
Senator Feingold kept coming back to his microphone diligently armed with
fistfuls of speeches and sound bite attempts. Like his colleagues on the
Left, he missed the mark. But Senator Feingold, as a Wisconsin Senator, has
been awarded the “Cheesehead” Award -- because his arguments were like Swiss
cheese: aged, rotten and full of holes. Congratulations Senator Feingold!
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) “Gone With the Windbag” Award
Listen to him… enough said. Congratulations Senator Durbin!
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) “Wilma Flintstone” Award
Senator Feinstein’s hearing performance reflected a tired, old, leftist
ideology that is so “Stone Age.” She does not speak for today’s American
women and her words are dust-covered relics that belong in a museum.
Congratulations Senator Feinstein!
Senator Herbert Kohl (D-WI) “Not Ready for Primetime” Award
Because he forgot to turn the page on his script and he read the same
question twice. Because he forgot to turn the page on his script and he read
the same question twice.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) “Sherwin Williams” Award
In a hearing week that could only be characterized as “uneventful”, this
award was quite competitive. One Senator clearly distinguished himself in
this field, however. Senator Patrick Leahy will receive the “Sherwin
Williams Award” because Senator Leahy’s participation in the hearing was
about as interesting as watching paint dry. In an unique twist, Leahy’s
comments to the media characterized Judge Alito as “not forthcoming.”
Perhaps Senator Leahy was watching paint dry instead of listening to Judge
Alito’s cogent responses – all 700 of them or 94% of the questions asked. By
comparison, Ruth Bader Ginsburg answered 74% of the questions posed to her.
The numbers just don’t bear witness to Leahy’s claims. It would seem the
Senator from Vermont is trying to be an overachiever and win a second award!
Congratulations, Senator Leahy!
Finally, to Judge Alito, a newly minted award entitled “The Alito” for
outstanding performance under fire and fidelity to constitutional
principles. Apparently, in Italian, “Alito” means “breath.” Clearly, Judge
Alito will be a “breath of fresh air” on the Supreme Court. “People for the
Alito Way” congratulates Judge Alito for his outstanding testimony despite
the best efforts of the other award winners.
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