Scalito Tee-ball

So, the new nominee has been announced and it is Samuel J. Alito, nicknamed Scalito and Scalia-lite for his judicial philosophy which is said to mirror that blight on American Jurisprudence, Antonin Scalia. And I think it is safe to call Scalia a blight. After all, this is the man who felt it unnecessary to recuse himself from a case where some of the principals had invited him on a hunting trip. He even uttered a mocking 'That's all I'm going to say for now. Quack, quack' after being pressed on the issue. Not exactly the person you want to be compared to in these times of political turmoil. But we aren't here to talk about Scalia, we are talking about ScaliTO, but it is interesting that the right supported Scalia's decision to stay on the case, but want the judge in the DeLay case to step aside for contributing money to Democrats. He hasn't had any personal involvement with the principals. But, read on for the liberal, conservative, and baseball viewpoints of this nomination. Yes, I said baseball....

The reaction thus far is predictable. The liberal blogs and groups are decrying the nomination:

Daily Kos
Al Franken
Slate.com
Danspotting

The conservatives love it:

Little Green Footballs
The American Thinker
Blogs for Bush

So, what does that mean for you, dear reader? The liberals are for and the conservatives are against. Do you only have your ideology as a guide for which side to be on? Well, there are quotes from our elected officials and influence peddlers. The Democrats are preparing for a fight and are suggesting that this is a divisive nominee. Harry Reid appears to be the most sensible of the Democrats. He has not directly attacked Alito, but rather questioned the President's selection process and the fact that Democrats were not consulted at all this time. Charles Schumer called Alito "a nominee likely to divide America". Ted Kennedy was likewise harsh, "President Bush has picked a nominee whom he hopes will stop the massive hemorrhaging of support on his right wing. This is a nomination based on weakness, not strength." The Republicans are now offering glowing praise and cautioning against dissing Dubya's nominee. Apparently only they are allowed to do that. "I commend the president and congratulate Judge Alito on this nomination", says Sam Brownback. Bill Frist was even happier, "Judge Alito is unquestionably qualified to serve on our nation's highest court." Wow. 'Unquestionably'? Shouldn't we wait for the hearings to vote? Gary Bauer, of the conservative American Values Coalition called the nomination "a grand slam home run"! Wow. I didn't even know the Republicans had the bases loaded. And who knew Dubya was such an accomplished hitter? How about someone who know Alito? Adam Ciongoli, a former law clerk for Judge Alito and former counsel to Attorney General John Ashcroft had this to say "The president has repeatedly said that he is looking for someone with strong intellect, temperament and reverence for the Constitution to replace Justice O'Connor. Judge Alito is a triple play."

Wait a minute. A triple play is bad when you are the batting team. So is Dubya batting or pitching? And how could it be a grand slam and a triple play? Well, that didn't help either. It seems we have only two choices; ideology and baseball metaphors. Allow me to dabble in both for a moment. I believe this was a grand slam home run for Bush. The problem is, he was batting in a little league field. And this was that stage of little league where your own coach pitches meatballs to you to help you get your confidence up. AND the visitor stands had been blown down by a hurricane, so there was only a home crowd present. Or, better yet, it was Tee-ball. In Tee-ball, everyone bats in every inning and runs to first no matter how the play turns out. The last batter clears the bases. Bush is the last batter. And he's clearing the bases even though he hit a dribbler that didn't even reach the mound. He may even score legitimately as the ball is lost in a scrum as all the fielders converge on it, finally retrieving it and throwing it to first, even as Dubya is heading for third. Yes. The more I think about it, the more I think this nomination is like a Tee-ball game.

But that didn't help you, did it? Sadly, I don't think it is possible to get unbiased information any more. I don't believe in the myth of "the liberal media", but enough people do that information there is not likely to be considered any more credible to those that don't want to believe it than that words from a liberal pundit. You are of course welcome to peruse these links which appear to be attempting to provide an objective view of the man. I particularly found the link to some of his past positions interesting. He does not appear to be the great Satan that the left is making him out to be or the second coming that the right is touting. He is undoubtedly a strong conservative who questions a woman's right to an abortion. He also believes a Christmas display is not religious if it includes Santa, but read or yourself.

Judge Alito's Past rulings
Wikipedia Bio

Personally, I'm skeptical, but waiting for more information to come out. I'm not on the fence, but I'm no so far from it that I can't be nudged back on.