Photo by AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, right, along with his sister Rosemary, left, and his wife, Martha, looks on during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on Monday.
In the first day of his confirmation hearings, Samuel Alito displayed none of the dexterity and charm of Bush's newly minted chief justice -- and may face a rougher ride later this week.
By Michael Scherer
No doubt about it, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. had a tough act to follow.
Just four months ago, John G. Roberts Jr. appeared before the same Senate panel, trim and tan, with mahogany hair and blue eyes that pierced through the television lights. He brought his two storybook children, and a calm authority that drew envy from even his most avid opponents. In the Senate Caucus Room, gilded in gold and strung with chandeliers, Roberts delivered an opening statement from memory that was almost poetic in its exacting brevity. He did not use a single note card to guide him. When he was done, the whole room seemed to swoon.
On Monday, Alito gave it an old New Jersey try. But his skin looked pale, his thinning hair came out of place, and his voice sounded nasal. He fiddled with his fingers as he spoke and cocked his head. After Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., asked him for an opening statement, Alito took almost 30 seconds to pour himself a glass of water, take a sip and unfold notes from his jacket pocket. He began by telling a joke about a nervous lawyer who had fumbled under pressure during an appearance before the Supreme Court, but he bungled the punch line. Then, he declared, "I have often asked myself, how in the world did I get here?"
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