I’ve been in and out of the office today, and away from the TV for part of the day, so I’ve only checked in with Roberts testimony intermittently, but it doesn’t look like anything earth-shattering is happening.
First things first. The Dems all walked in at 10 a.m., a full hour after the hearings started. We thought they might have already thrown in the towel, but they showed up. Maybe they were getting yelled at by all the interest groups?
My co-worker Tim heard that Dems are getting chided for their easy questioning of Roberts today, and that Schumer was overheard saying Roberts will get 70 votes.
Ankle Biting Pundits figured out, scientifically, just how much the senators love the sound of their own voices. Hee hee.
Biden was angry and snide again today, and once again outdid Kennedy, who by some accounts was “cordial.” Jonah Goldberg captures Biden’s tone:
The man loves his voice so much, you’d expect him to be following it around in a grey Buick, in defiance of restraining order, as it walks home from school. He seems to think his teeth are some kind of hypnotic punctuation marks which can momentarily disorient the listener and absolve him from any of Western civilization’s usual imperatives to stop talking. …”which brings to mind Brown V. Board of Ed which most people don’t understand because [TEETH FLASH] he taught Brown in his law school course and [TEETH FLASH] Mr. Chairman I’m going to get right to it and besides these aren’t the droids you’re looking for….”
The teeth flash, employed more often today than yesterday, was especially creepy. It’s kind of a “how-do-you-like-me-now” smile, giving him some time to stand back and look at the rhetorical havoc he thinks he’s reaked until Roberts smacks him down with a clear answer. I guess he’s angling for blog backing in ’08. If so, the tapes of this performance could be very persuasive for the angry BDS-ers over at the Kos, but probably not for the American swing voter.
In the end, any American who’s watching this will probably wonder by Day 3 why more of their senators don’t act and sound like John Roberts. He’s come off as a class act who clearly loves the law and does a great job of explaining complex issues when given time to talk by his inquisitors.
The best sign that this is all over but the shouting? All the cable networks have switched to Ophelia coverage. (Everyone in NC take care!) We’re watching Roberts on PBS.
shoe shaking. Now that would be amusing.
listening to Roberts via CSPAN online. So not so much teeth flash, but I’m amused at Biden’s bloviating. He’s like the Cosby skit where he describes his mother berating him as a teenager.
From memory- but it went something like this:
Mom: “Do you think I’m stupid?!”
Cosby: “No Ma-“
Mom: “Don’t you talk back at me when I’m talking to you. You keep that mouth shut when I’m talking to you. If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times. How many times do I have to tell you! Do you think I’m standing here to hear myself talk?! Answer me!”
LOL!
(to Biden)
Senator, you’ve been talking for a long time now, and your time is up. Do you have any questions for the Judge?
talks about taking a break then Roberts asks for a chance to respond.
Chairman: I didn’t hear any questions in all of that. But you’re welcome to respond to it if you like. We’ll take it out of his (Biden’s) next turn.
Roberts: jokes about quoting North by Northwest
I’m playing segments from the C-SPAN playback of the hearings on my podcast each day. Yesterday’s had Biden and Kennedy, and of course Foghorn Leghorn for comparison purposes. Get the blogosphere in your ear.
Thanks.
A fart from my 4 year old boy provides more intellectual stimuli than any comment Joe Biden could ever make.
By the way Joe, tell us how you were able to deduct the costs of your hairplugs?
Can you imagine having a joker like Biden as your lawyer? Reminds of an Amos & Andy episode in which Algonquin J. Calhoun represented the Kingfish. After court, Kingfish asked Andy, “How much ground did I lose because of my attorney?”
actually, I’m watching it on CSPAN and CSPAN2
I love it.
My favorite Biden moment: after repeatedly interrupting or cutting Roberts off in the middle of his answer, Biden asked some lame-assed question. Roberts: “Senator, I was going to lay that out for you, but you didn’t want to hear it.” I think we need a huge number of Republican Senators and Congressmen like Roberts; Kennedy and Pelosi and the rest of the usual gang of idiots wouldn’t survive.