Betsy's Page

Monday, September 12, 2005

Dana Milbank must have been truly bored at the Roberts hearing today as he lets loose with full snide snarkiness. I confess I found his description funny as he picked up on some of the foibles from both sides of the hearing room.
Yesterday's opening of the John Roberts confirmation hearings was a time for historic firsts.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) made 49 first-person references in a 10-minute statement that was, ostensibly, not about himself.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) showed exceptional emotional versatility, working a crossword puzzle during the hearing and then choking back a sob while making a prosaic statement about partisanship.

Roberts delivered what may have been the shortest opening statement by a modern Supreme Court nominee -- less than seven minutes, including the thank-yous and two baseball metaphors.
That can't be the way that Schumer wanted his opening to be remembered - for his total solipsism, but it is a telling detail.

And this exchange must have been one of the highlights of the long afternoon.
After Feingold predicted longevity for the 50-year-old nominee because he looks "healthy," Coburn, a doctor, said that cannot be predicted without a "physical exam or a family history" -- neither of which is on this week's hearing schedule.
I love the idea of a senator taking a crossword puzzle to the bore-fest that this opening day was though Tom Coburn couldn't have desired his crossword skills to be juxtaposed for his attempt at passion.
A television camera behind Coburn caught the senator working a crossword puzzle. But Coburn went from detachment to emotional overdrive when it was his turn to talk; seconds after asserting that "a super-legislator body is not what the court was intended to be," he paused and wept.

Colleagues looked alarmed. One GOP committee aide put his hand to his mouth. It was the biggest Senate choke-up since Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) cried while opposing the nomination of the ambassador to the United Nations -- and Coburn has to get through three more days of hearings.
As I said, not quite the neutral reporting of the news, but funny nevertheless. Give Milbank a column and get him off from straight reporting and he can indulge his sense of humor all he wants.

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 10:31 PM

		Betsy's Page

HOME Betsy neither necessarily uses, nor endorses, the products advertised on this site. Comments from an AP history and government teacher in Raleigh, NC. e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com Site Feed Wikio Your Market Research Here		Monday, September 12, 2005 Dana Milbank must have been truly bored at the Roberts hearing today as he lets loose with full snide snarkiness. I confess I found his description funny as he picked up on some of the foibles from both sides of the hearing room. Yesterday's opening of the John Roberts confirmation hearings was a time for historic firsts. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) made 49 first-person references in a 10-minute statement that was, ostensibly, not about himself. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) showed exceptional emotional versatility, working a crossword puzzle during the hearing and then choking back a sob while making a prosaic statement about partisanship. Roberts delivered what may have been the shortest opening statement by a modern Supreme Court nominee -- less than seven minutes, including the thank-yous and two baseball metaphors. That can't be the way that Schumer wanted his opening to be remembered - for his total solipsism, but it is a telling detail. And this exchange must have been one of the highlights of the long afternoon. After Feingold predicted longevity for the 50-year-old nominee because he looks "healthy," Coburn, a doctor, said that cannot be predicted without a "physical exam or a family history" -- neither of which is on this week's hearing schedule. I love the idea of a senator taking a crossword puzzle to the bore-fest that this opening day was though Tom Coburn couldn't have desired his crossword skills to be juxtaposed for his attempt at passion. A television camera behind Coburn caught the senator working a crossword puzzle. But Coburn went from detachment to emotional overdrive when it was his turn to talk; seconds after asserting that "a super-legislator body is not what the court was intended to be," he paused and wept. Colleagues looked alarmed. One GOP committee aide put his hand to his mouth. It was the biggest Senate choke-up since Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) cried while opposing the nomination of the ambassador to the United Nations -- and Coburn has to get through three more days of hearings. As I said, not quite the neutral reporting of the news, but funny nevertheless. Give Milbank a column and get him off from straight reporting and he can indulge his sense of humor all he wants. posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 10:31 PM \|

Wikio

Monday, September 12, 2005