January 31, 2008

John McCain said a bad, bad thing

The Prince of Darkness dishes some more dirt this morning, confirming John Fund's previous dishery that Senator John McCain described U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito as "too conservative." McCain, in the meantime, has been makin' flippy floppy,* calling Alito a "magnificent choice" for the Court.

Reports Novakula:
I found what McCain could not remember: a private, informal chat with conservative Republican lawyers shortly after he announced his candidacy in April 2007. I talked to two lawyers who were present whom I have known for years and who have never misled me. One is neutral in the presidential race, and the other recently endorsed Mitt Romney. Both said they were not Fund's source, and neither knew I was talking to the other. They gave me nearly identical accounts, as follows:

"Wouldn't it be great if you get a chance to name somebody like Roberts and Alito?" one lawyer commented. McCain replied, "Well, certainly Roberts." Jaws were described as dropping. My sources cannot remember exactly what McCain said next, but their recollection is that he described Alito as too conservative.
Grow legs, story, grow legs!

All of which is a cheap excuse to revisit Robert Smigel's hilarious "Fun With Real Audio" segment from Saturday Night Live devoted to the now-Chief Justice John Roberts Senate confirmation hearings:

"I hesitate to opine ..." (QuickTime, 2:28)

* Feat. Jerry Harrison of Milwaukee, WI.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What happened to the ridiculous local right-wing chatter about the former Mrs. Charlie Sykes? Reminiscent of the Tommy for President campaign, locals, including a breathless Jessica McBride, were insisting that the Supreme Court was imminent for the woman who misled the Senate Judiciary Committee about her laudatory comments to abortion clinic protesters and how she enabled them? Has anyone tracked her opinions from the bench? Has anything more surfaced on the answers she gave to the Judiciary Committee and about other inconsistencies in her record? (Not that she's going anywhere anytime soon, but it never helps to be prepared, even if the local stroking was hilariously provincial.)

Anonymous said...

Reason #4081 that I hate corporate greed:

The writers strike cancelling of SNL for this election cycle.