Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and his team of Democrats are displaying their desperation to sink the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court by linking him to the alleged discriminatory policies of the Conservative Alumni of Princeton (CAP), an organization that disbanded nearly 20 years ago , according to a news release by Concerned Women of America.
In fact, Kennedy made a scene in an effort to take control of the proceedings after Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter told him his request to subpoena CAP records would be considered in due time. Here is the final portion of the Kennedy/Arlen Specter exchange:
KENNEDY: Mr. Chairman, I'd appeal the ruling of the chair on this.SPECTER: There has been no ruling of the chair, Senator Kennedy.
KENNEDY: Well what is the -- my request is that we go into the executive session for the sole purpose of voting on a subpoena for these records that are held over at the Library of Congress -- that purpose and that purpose only.Update: see the video here.And if I'm going to be denied that, I'd want to give notice to the chair that you're going to hear it again and again and again and we're going to have votes of this committee again and again and again until we have a resolution.
I think it's...
SPECTER: Well, Senator Kennedy, I'm not concerned about your threats to have votes again, again and again. And I'm the chairman of this committee and I have heard your request and I will consider it.
And I'm not going to have you run this committee and decide when we're going to go into executive session.
We are in the middle of a round of hearings. This is the first time you have personally called it to my attention, and this is the first time that I have focused on it. And I will consider in due course.
Now we'll move to Senator Grassley for 20 minutes.
Judge Alito has repeated in two days of questioning, "I wasn’t a member of CAP," and "I don’t have any recollection of having any involvement with CAP." He repeatedly said that he would never knowingly involve himself with a discriminatory organization.
"Kennedy repeatedly asked Judge Alito whether he had read specific articles about CAP and he said he hadn’t," said Jan LaRue, CWA Chief Counsel. “I’d like to ask Kennedy if he read his favorite newspaper, The New York Times, when it reported last November that it had examined the records of CAP and there’s virtually nothing there to tie Alito to CAP. Kennedy is sinking to a new low trying to defame Alito, distort his record and deceive the public. It’s disgusting,” LaRue concluded.
The New York Times reported on November 27, 2005: "[M]emorandum and other records of Concerned Alumni are contained at the Library of Congress in the papers of William A. Rusher, a leader of the group and a former publisher of National Review. Those records and others at Mudd Library at Princeton give no indication that Judge Alito . . . was among the group’s major donors. He was not an active leader of the group, and two of his classmates who were involved and Mr. Rusher said they did not remember his playing a role."
"Sen. Kennedy’s demand that papers that have already been reviewed be subpoenaed from the Library of Congress is shameless grandstanding," stated Wendy Wright, CWA’s Executive Vice President. "Kennedy fails to realize that his questioning of Judge Alito’s exemplary ethics naturally causes people to reflect upon Kennedy’s own less-than-stellar ethics."
In one of several exchanges between Kennedy and Alito, Kennedy attempted to associate Alito with the contents of a 1984 CAP article, knowing that the judge graduated Princeton in 1972, the year CAP was formed.
KENNEDY: The June '84 edition of Prospect magazine contains a short article on AIDS. I know that we've come a long way since then in our understanding of the disease, but even for that time the insensitivity of statements in this article are breathtaking.The attacks on Judge Samuel Alito by democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are outrageous, repetitive, and personal. It is not surprising that Alito’s wife, Martha, left the confirmation hearing room in tears. What is remarkable is that the judge kept his steady even keel and answered with respect, common sense and honor while Kennedy and company inflicted their well practiced art of character assassination.It announces that a team of doctors has found the AIDS virus in the rhesus monkeys was similar to the virus occurring in human beings.
KENNEDY: And the article then goes on with this terrible statement: "Now that the scientists must find humans, or rather homosexuals, to submit themselves to experimental treatment. Perhaps Princeton's Gay Alliance may want to hold an election."
You didn't read that article?
ALITO: I feel confident that I didn't, Senator, because I would not have anything to do with statements of that nature.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) apologized to the Judge’s family, stating,
Judge Alito, I am sorry that you've had to go through this. I am sorry that your family has had to sit here and listen to this.He also soberly noted,
Let me tell you this: Guilt by association is going to drive good men and women away from wanting to sit where you're sitting. And we're going to go through a bit of this ourselves as congressmen and senators.Michelle Malkin says Shame, Shame, ..., The Political Teen has the video and StoptheACLU.People are going to take a fact that we got a campaign donation from somebody who's found out to be a little different than we thought they were -- and our political opponent's going to say, "Aha, I got you!"
"KENNEDY: Well what is the -- my request is that we go into the executive session for the sole purpose of voting on a subpoena for these records that are held over at the Library of Congress -- that purpose and that purpose only."
Do people realize how silly this is? Not only is the Library of Congress obviously Congress' library, it is a public library.
All you have to do is walk in and ask the librarian to get you materials they have on Concerned Alumni of Princeton, and they will do it for you.
What adds to the silliness is that the NY Times already published a story referencing the same documents. The committee, having now reviewed the docs, has come to the same conclusion as the Times: Alito's name is not mentioned.
Kennedy's has finally reached his last resort and is threatening to filibuster. After Tuesday's vote Alito will be confirmed and we won't have to worry about Kennedy and his ilk and their threats.