I'll Show You a Radical Tool

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Surprise, the NY Times opposes Sam Alito, and begins today's editorial with the same talking points that suggest Alito would fit President Bush with a crown and throne if confirmed:

Judge Samuel Alito Jr., whose entire history suggests that he holds extreme views about the expansive powers of the presidency and the limited role of Congress, will almost certainly be a Supreme Court justice soon. His elevation will come courtesy of a president whose grandiose vision of his own powers threatens to undermine the nation's basic philosophy of government - and a Senate that seems eager to cooperate by rolling over and playing dead.

An "entire history" of supporting a larger executive? No wonder Alito is doing so well, his opponents are going on a 1985 application to argue that he has a history of granting the president unlimited power. Of course his actual record makes no implication that Alito would treat Bush like a king, it's just that liberals have to come up with other reasons to oppose a stellar nomination besides abortion restrictions.

If liberals really cared about individual rights they'd support conservative judges, not the liberal bloc that ruled last year in favor of corporations using eminent domain to take your private property. Or have we forgotten Kelo already? Absurdly, Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida used that case to defend his vote against Altio, saying the judge wouldn't have voted with Scalia and Thomas to preserve private property rights. Someone needs to remind Nelson that Alito will vote more often with Scalia and Thomas than the justices in the Kelo majority, and Florida voters need to send him home in the November election.

A filibuster is a radical tool. It's easy to see why Democrats are frightened of it. But from our perspective, there are some things far more frightening. One of them is Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court.

And just think, in another week he will be on the Supreme Court and life will go on. John Paul Stevens will turn 86 this year and hopefully we'll get to go through this process allover again before the next presidential election.