chappaquit-it

I've come across this quote from an article in the U.S. News several times, and so I feel compelled now to share my two cents worth on it. First, here's the quote:

Alito Backlash in the Works
The GOP team working with the White House to win confirmation of conservative Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito is putting out a warning to Alito's Democratic critics: Question his ethics and character at your own peril. In their sights: Sens. Edward Kennedy and Joe Biden. "We're absolutely prepared to have an ethics debate with Teddy Kennedy," says one insider who mentioned the "C" word: Chappaquiddick. "Questioning Alito's credibility and character will be hit back hard," said one of the Alito supporters.

Let's just start out by saying that I'm not a big Ted Kennedy fan. I've got nothing against him, but yeah, the goings on that night in Chappaquiddick seem a little odd. But guess what, that's an issue between Kennedy, and the voters of Massachusetts. The issue here is whether or not we, the entire United States of America, want Samuel Alito to represent us as one of our nation's top nine legal scholars, whose job it will be to defend the People from the UnConstitutional whims of the both the Congress and the President. That's why we must ask the "ugly" questions. Because the constitutionality of laws for the next twenty or thirty years will be in the hands of this man (with 8 others, of course). Additionally, every time one president, whoever he is, replaces more than one Supreme Court Justice, it becomes more important than ever to make sure that the choice is a good one.
On top of all this, the Bush Administration more and more shows itself to be an administration entirely unconcerned with Law, Morality, Fair Play, or anything that might get in the way of it satisfying it's own all to personal desires. This makes it more important than ever to ask Alito the hard questions. That makes the lack of real answers recieved from Roberts all the more worrying.

Let's just hope that the Senate feels the cold wind of next November on the backs of their necks, and tries to do something right for a change. (besides the obvious, like anti-torture legislation.)

addendum:

Let me just add, what they're describing above is not a backlash. It is retaliation. It is thuggery.