Friday, January 13, 2006
A Silver Lining
They were outclassed - badly.
It points to a couple of good things though : 1) the Republicans learned lessons from previous nominating processes and, except for the Harriet Miers mistake, put up truly outstanding candidates. You may disagree with them, but you cannot say they are not supremely competent (no pun intended). These are not mediocre intellects and people. Roberts and Alito are excellent. They belong there. And furthermore, they were able to stand up to the hideous personal scrutiny and reverse it on the Democratic questioners to the inquisitors' detriment. The questioners looked stupid, venal and mean. This leads to 2) the Democrats should learn from this as well and, ideally, improve themselves. They need representatives with greater intellectual firepower to match the nominees, but also match Arlen Specter and some of their Republican peers, who also outclassed them in their questioning.
America is a great country. The process worked. It produced very high quality nominees for the Supreme Court.
6 Comments:
By 
TigerHawk, at
Fri Jan 13, 10:19:00 AM:
The Republicans had an easier job of it, because they were mostly just taking shots at the Democrats, rather than questioning Alito (at least in the 7-8 hours I saw). Of the group, I thought Sam Brownback was the sharpest and smoothest. He impressed me when I blogged the Senate a few months ago, and he impressed me again in these hearings. A lot smarter than George Allen (if the Jeopardy category is Republican Presidential Timber).
By Charlottesvillain, at
Fri Jan 13, 10:28:00 AM:
There goes that pissy Cardinalpark again! (Sorry, couldn't resist).
I am not a consipracy theorist and usually find it hilarious when every little thing is attributed to the mastermind Karl Rove. But I have to say that in retrospect, the Harriet Miers nomination looks more and more to me like an intentional tactical move to smooth the process for the 'real' nominee. If so, it seems to have worked perfectly in this case. More than perfectly, for Alito will be nominated, while the Democrats have revealed themselves as petulant fools.
By Cardinalpark, at
Fri Jan 13, 10:47:00 AM:
You're assuming that just cause a guy isn't a constitutional scholar, he isn't that bright. I doubt Reagan or GWB would have sparkled in a judiciary committe hearing either.
I really don't know much about Allen (more about his father really). But I hear Brownback is a fire-breathing, bible thumping conservative. I don't know if he makes it sufficiently to the center...you?
Hey, at least I laid off Teddy Kennedy this time. If Biden runs, they should just throw up the film from these hearings and he will vanish. Nobody will have to try to make him look like a fool. He is an expert at that.
By Cardinalpark, at
Fri Jan 13, 11:08:00 AM:
Aidan - you should scroll around and find some of the prior grenades I threw at Teddy. I was less kind than you. And you forgot he's a killer.
By Counter Trey, at
Sat Jan 14, 12:18:00 AM:
TH,
Intelligence is only one factor of many that makes a great president. Our greatest presidents had (have) it in spades, but one could argue that beyond a certain, well-above-average point, too much IQ disqualifies a candidate.
Presidents need to be leaders above all and leaders need to be decisive. Most of the uber smart people that I have met in my life could argue both sides of any issue with alacrity and conviction, but rarely with enough conviction to take action.
Most of the uber smart also spent their entire lives hearing those around them tell them they are geniuses, and consequently many lack sufficient humility to lead. The constant reminder of brainpower also leads many to crave the attention and approval of the intelligentsia--newspaper editors, college professors, etc.--which is an automatic disqualification in my book.
I don't know much about Brownback, but I'll pay more attention to him now that you have pointed him out. But, everything I've seen of Allen is pretty impressive.
By Counter Trey, at
Tue Jan 24, 01:02:00 PM:
This echos my thinking on intellect and presidential leadership, which I posted above:
From http://patriotpost.us
"His mind was great and powerful, without being of the very first order; his penetration strong, though not so acute as that of Newton, Bacon, or Locke; and as far as he saw, no judgment was ever sounder"
-- Thomas Jefferson (on George Washington in a letter to Dr. Walter Jones, 2 January 1814)
Reference: Jefferson: Writings, Peterson ed., Library of America
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