wink, wink, nudge, nudgesay no more, say no more

So, here we are, on what is technically Day 2 of the nomination process of Samuel Alito to the United States Supreme Court. And I gotta tell you, I'm bored already.
Have you listened to any of it? There's mostly grandstanding by Senators, almost all of whom have already made up their mind how to vote. There's calm, rational answers showing a great intellect by Judge Alito, who nevertheless will not answer any questions about how he might rule in cases coming before the Supreme Court.
What's the point of the whole ridiculous circus, anyway? I feel like a rube at a carnival.
Check your wallet?
Whew, still there.

So far as Alito goes, I've only heard one thing that I would describe as disturbing. This came during an answer about Executive powers and rights to privacy (or something like that, I was a bit groggy): Alito said something to the effect that the Constitution "generally" required a warrant. The "generally" (if that was the exact word) was not out there as baldly as I paraphrased it here from my imperfect memory, but it was there, in his statement, nonetheless. Wait for the transcripts, you'll see.
"Generally".
I dont like this idea, that there can be exeptions to the rule, especially when the Bush Administration has been dancing over the line of legality in their wiretapping of U.S. citizens, an issue which will surely, some day, make it to Court.
Specifically, a Supreme Court which will (unless he is discovered to be a child pornographer or a secret Liberal) include Samuel Alito.
And he will be there. He's too reasonable for the Democrats to overcome the Republican majority. No, despite the Ultra-Conservative Princeton Boys Club which he seems to have "forgotten" he belonged to, the Dems have to know that they'll look really bad if they fillibuster Judge Alito (unless he is discovered to be a canibal or a secret Klansman).

So turn off CNN, or NPR, or whatever you're keeping track of the hearings on. It's a done deal. To anything else will only cause you to hear Democrats beating dead horses, and insufferable smugness alternating with outrageous hypocracy from the Republicans (Texas' John Cornyn "cleverly" hid his call to overturn Roe v. Wade in a statement praising the overturning of Plessy v. Ferguson. You could practically see him wiggling his eyebrows and jabbing Orrin Hatch with his elbow)

Oh, and hope. Hope real hard.

You can bet your ass the Republicans are, and they've got the inside track, because whatever he's not saying in those hearings, you and I both know that he's talked and talked and talked and talked to BushCo, and the rest of the Conservative Corps, about changes that everyone on one side of the aisle would like to see.