David Espo of AP News did a little presstituting for the conservatives under a headline titled, “Alito Turns Aside Democrats’ Criticism. ” Espo reported that Alito “calmly turned aside Democratic attacks on his judicial record at confirmation hearings Wednesday, declaring his impartiality and saying, ‘If I’m confirmed I’ll be myself.’”

The point that Espo is missing is that that is exactly what the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are afraid of. Democrats both on the Judiciary Committee and off have seen enough of Alito’s record to know that he is not the man who deserves to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court bench.

Durbin cited rulings in cases involving a black man accused of murder, a retarded man who had been sexually molested and an injury at a coal worksite.

He said that in each case, Alito had made rulings that favored the powerful at the expense of the powerless. “I find this as a recurring pattern, and it raises the question in my mind whether the average person, the dispossessed person, the poor person who finally has their day in court … are going to be subject to the crushing hand of fate when it comes to your decisions.”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., picking up where Durbin had left off, asked Alito why he felt comfortable renouncing 20-year-old statements he had made questioning the principle of one person, one vote, when he wouldn’t do the same on Roe v. Wade.

Alito said once again there are cases making their way through the courts on abortion.

Feinstein noted four voting rights cases currently pending that raise questions of whether the principle of one person, one vote has been violated.

“If you’re willing to say that you believe one man, one vote is well settled and you agree with it, I have a hard time understanding how you separate out Roe,” she said.

Samuel Alito is our worst nightmare. It’s grand that he will be himself, but he needs to be himself, somewhere else — not on the Supreme Court bench!

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