I have always found sanctimony from Sen. Feingold particulalry unappealing since he was instrumental in engineering the first significant curbing of free political speech in this country since its founding (yes, he had help, but that does not change the main point).  One of these days, the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of Congress making a law abridging freedom of speech will go down with other titanic travesties such as Dred Scott and Plessy v. Ferguson. 

But here we are now.  And Sen. Feingold now wants Judge Alito to provide a list of everyone with whom he spoke in preparing for his hearings.  Funny.  I thought the point of the hearings was for Senators to ask questions of the nominee.  But if we are now going to document the provenance of the proceedings, then balance certainly requires that each Senator submit a list of those people and organizations with whom he or she consulted in preparing for the hearings.  Those lists would make most interesting reading. 

And they have the advantage of being equally insulting, as their provision implies that the Senators are doing the bidding of third parties, not representing the interests of their constituents, just as asking Judge Alito to provide his list of advisors is meant to imply that he is being manipulated by them, not speaking for himself.

I hope that one of the Republican senators makes this request tomorrow when Judge Alito provides his list.

Let's put them all on the web.

Greg Richards   1 12 06