Samuel Alito

In January 2006, Senator John Kerry launched a doomed last-minute effort to filibuster Sam Alito’s Supreme Court nomination. He was blasted for needless grandstanding (which wasn’t a baseless charge – Kerry at the time was clearly running for President in ’08 and desperate to make friendly with the party’s grassroots), the filibuster was killed on a 72-25 vote, and Alito  read more »

Twenty-two minutes after President George W.  read more »

More than the inability to influence Iraq policy or the President’s tax cuts, Chuck Schumer sa  read more »

Chuck Schumer tells Jason Horowitz that the biggest failing of the Democrats in the Senate was allowing Sam Alito onto the Supreme Court. He speaks up (now that the election is over) about his support for a controversial Iraq strategy. And he talks about his upcoming Democratic manifesto, to be entitled "Positively American: Winning Back the Middle Class Majority One Family at a Time."

Tom Scocca catches up with Tom Friedman in China, and sees him tell a crowd of Chinese readers that the 2008 election will be about... China. (See, also, Tom Friedman's column today on China.)

Rebecca Dana writes about that weird Election Night exit poll quarantine room.

Joe Conason thinks Nancy Pelosi is too close to John Murtha.

Steve Kornacki thinks Pelosi's opponents underestimate her in-fighting ability at their peril.

And Sara Vilomerson and John Koblin write about the surprising direction in which Jim Dolan has taken the Knicks.

-- Josh Benson

Senator Charles Schumer may not have stopped the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, bu  read more »

Senator Charles Schumer may not have stopped the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, bu  read more »

Assessing the philosophy, character and fitness of Samuel Alito to sit on the U.S.  read more »

Assessing the philosophy, character and fitness of Samuel Alito to sit on the U.S.  read more »

Beneath a photo of Judge Samuel Alito in Princeton University’s 1972 yearbook, one line prophe  read more »

Beneath a photo of Judge Samuel Alito in Princeton University’s 1972 yearbook, one line prophesied  read more »

Twenty-two minutes after President George W.  read more »

Twenty-two minutes after President George W.  read more »

Well, that didn't take long. As I started to write an item on New York's senior Senator and the new SCOTUS nominee, Judge Samuel Alito, the following popped up from Chuck:

"It is sad that the President felt he had to pick a nominee likely to divide America instead of choosing a nominee in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor, who would unify us.

"This controversial nominee, who would make the Court less diverse and far more conservative, will get very careful scrutiny from the Senate and from the American people."

Chuck has been saying for years that he wanted a nominee whose views are known, and in this one, he got what he wanted. Alito took what wound up being the losing side in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, as clear a signal as you're going to get that he's a vote against Roe.

On the other hand, Chuck has also said recently that with the President weakened, the Democrats can beat a conservative nominee -- whether by filibuster or on a straight vote.

Sounds like we'll see.  read more »