Thursday, January 12, 2006
Sen. Schumer and the Alito Hearings
For a long time now, every time I see Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on TV I'm reminded of Snoopy in the "Peanuts" strip sitting on top of his doghouse and fantasizing about being a vulture. I think it must be the Senator's posture--he seems always to have his shoulders hunched and his face thrust forward, as he peers over his glasses apparently looking for some carrion to devour.
I haven't been glued to the TV during the Alito confirmation hearings; I've tuned in and gotten snippets of Teddy Kennedy, Arlen Specter, Schumer, Dick Durbin, John Cornyn and Pat Leahy doing their thing. By some stroke of luck I haven't tuned in while Sen. Biden was holding forth. Anyway, my impression of Sen. Schumer as a caricature of a buzzard has been strengthened by his demeanor during the hearings. He's been acting like a vulture suddenly required by circumstances to actually go out and kill something, and it hasn't been pretty. Like Peggy Noonan, I am left wondering how Judge Alito is able to sit through it all without either breaking into hysterical laughter or responding to the Senators' questions with all the snarkiness they deserve.
I haven't been glued to the TV during the Alito confirmation hearings; I've tuned in and gotten snippets of Teddy Kennedy, Arlen Specter, Schumer, Dick Durbin, John Cornyn and Pat Leahy doing their thing. By some stroke of luck I haven't tuned in while Sen. Biden was holding forth. Anyway, my impression of Sen. Schumer as a caricature of a buzzard has been strengthened by his demeanor during the hearings. He's been acting like a vulture suddenly required by circumstances to actually go out and kill something, and it hasn't been pretty. Like Peggy Noonan, I am left wondering how Judge Alito is able to sit through it all without either breaking into hysterical laughter or responding to the Senators' questions with all the snarkiness they deserve.
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