Let The Games Begin

Well confirmation hearings begin today for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito (insert Alito were Iraq is on this cartoon). With the recent brew-ha-ha over domestic wire-tapping some Senate Democrat's are vowing to make that matter an issue in the hearings. This is all in addition to the already existent & wide spread opposition to Judge Alito among a sizeable section of the political left. Harsh statements were put out against the judges nomination by groups as diverse as the AFL-CIO, MoveOn.org, Americans United for Separation of Church & State (funny, I always thought I held that position as well), and famed television producer Norman Lear (not really a group). Also their is talk of a possible filibuster against Judge Alito spear-headed by the likes of Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Ted Kennedy (D-Kennedy Land). With Samuel Alito having already received the highest possible rating from the American Bar Association all such attacks against the judge should be seen for the partisan acts they are. Judge Samuel Alito is a conservative nominee from a conservative president, thats just the way its going to be, judges reflecting the general philosophy of the president that nominated them is the best way to ensure some measure of popular effect on the selection of these officers. The Senates only real job in terms of confirmation is to ensure that the nominee is 1) qualified and 2) not crazy, and Sam Alitio easily passes on both those criteria. There should be no politically motivated litmus test on Supreme Court confirmations, and I don't care if that nominee is a Scalia or a Ginsburg, qualifications and ability are all that really should matter in a constitutional sense.