Ted Kennedy - PWN3D!

I caught the audio of this priceless moment during the Alito confirmation hearings on the Sean Hannity show this afternoon.  Michelle Malkin has more, including the ubiquitous Political Teen's video, and a transcript of the episode, via The Washington Post.

(I've moved the transcript of Kennedy getting smacked down by chairman Arlen Specter, after his idiotic request to subpoena all CAP newsletters, to the extended section of this post.  It's more fun to hear, but still a riot to read.)

For those of you who don't know, CAP, Concerned Alumni of Princeton, was an association critical of Princeton's affirmative action quota policies, and critical of Princeton's decision to bar the ROTC from their campus.  One CAP member purportedly wrote an article for the association's newsletter suggesting that whites were more intelligent than blacks.  As noted in his testimony, Alito had no formal dealings or involvement with this association, though Democrats threatened to hold him accountable for its every published word.

Michelle Malkin wonders why the Democrats were never interested in investigating the actions of the KKK when Sen. Robert Byrd was a member.  I blogged about the KKK this past summer, including some interesting quotes from Klan documents.

And I wonder how Samuel Alito can keep a straight face through all of this nonsense, too.

ADDED 01-12-06:

The Washington Times is reporting this morning:

     Judge Alito rebuked the sentiments and said he had no recollection of the group. He said that he must have joined because he was in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and the group also opposed the expulsion of Princeton's ROTC program from campus during the anti-war years of the 1960s and 1970s.

    Conservative activists, meanwhile, were eager to point out that Mr. Kennedy was on shaky ground accusing the nominee of associating with people opposed to the inclusion of women in private institutions.

    The eight-term senator belonged to an all-male social club -- the Owl -- at Harvard University. The Owl refused to admit women until it was forced to do so during the 1980s, according to records kept by the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper.

    A Kennedy spokeswoman said it was an entirely different matter.

    "No one can question Senator Kennedy's commitment to equality, justice and civil rights," said Laura Capps. "What he was part of was a social club, not a radical group pushing a radical agenda."

    Anyway, she said, even though women were admitted to the university during Mr. Kennedy's tenure, they weren't fully integrated to the campus until much later.

Ouch.  Of course, as an uber-rich, white elitist family living in New England, there is no doubt that the Kennedys probably belonged to several exclusive clubs that prohibited blacks and Jews from joining.  Pot and kettle here, folks.

And speaking of pots and kettles, The Anchoress notes this bit of web sleuthing done by the bloggers at Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred, which netted this (*ahem*) interesting letter (scroll down for original source) written by Ted Kennedy to a constituent in 1971:

"While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized -- the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old.

I share the confidence of those who feel that America is working to care for its unwanted as well as wanted children, protecting particularly those who cannot protect themselves. I also share the opinions of those who do not accept abortion as a response to our society's problems -- an inadequate welfare system, unsatisfactory job training programs, and insufficient financial support for all its citizens.  

  "When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception."

Mmmmkay ... do we still believe that public officials should be held accountable for every word they ever wrote?

And finally:

Nice going, Ted.  But hey, maybe you're actually bolstering your record on women's rights -- at least Martha Ann Alito is still alive.

SMACKDOWN:

KENNEDY: ... Last month, I sent a letter to Senator Specter asking a number of questions about your membership in CAP. And I asked Senator Specter make a formal committee request for the documents in the possession of the Library of Congress as part of the William Rusher papers. Mr. Rusher was the publisher of the National Review, was an active founder and leader of CAP.

Do you have any hesitancy or reason for us not to look at those documents?

ALITO: They're not my documents, Senator, and I have no opinion about it whatsoever.

KENNEDY: Do you think they'd be helpful?

ALITO: Senator, I don't believe I had any active involvement with this group.

I've wracked my memory and I can't recall anything. And if I had been involved actively in any way in the group, I'm sure that I would remember that.

KENNEDY: Well, Mr. Chairman, if I could have your attention, I think we ought to vote on issuing a subpoena to the custodian of those CAP records.

KENNEDY: And I want to do that at an appropriate time. I'd move that the committee go into executive session for the purpose of voting on the issuancing of -- the sole purpose for issuing the subpoena of those records.

SPECTER: Well, we'll consider that, Senator Kennedy. There are many, many requests which are coming to me and many quarters. And, quite candidly, I view the request -- if it's really a matter of importance, you and I see each other all the time and you have never mentioned it to me.

And I do not ascribe a great deal of weight -- we actually didn't get a letter, but...

KENNEDY: You did get a letter. Are you saying...

SPECTER: Well, now wait a minute; you don't know what I got. I'm about to...

KENNEDY: Yes I do, Senator, since I sent it.

SPECTER: Well, the sender does not necessarily know what the recipient gets, Senator Kennedy. You are not in a position to say what I receive.

If you'll bear with me for one minute.

KENNEDY: But I am in a position to say what I sent to you on December 22.

SPECTER: You're in a position to tell me what you sent.

KENNEDY: I renew my request, Senator. And if I'm going to be denied, then I'd appeal the decision of the chair.

I think we are entitled to this information. It deals with the fundamental issues of equality and discrimination.

This nominee has indicated he has no objection to seeing us these issues. We've gone over the questions and we are entitled to get that kind of information. And if you're going to rule it out of order, I want to have a vote on that here on our committee.

SPECTER: Well, don't be premature, Senator Kennedy. I'm not about to make a ruling on this state of the record.

I hope you won't mind if I consider it, and I hope you won't mind if I give you the specifics that there was no letter which I received.

I take umbrage at your telling me what I received. I don't mind your telling me what you mailed. But there's a big difference between what's mailed and what's received. And you know that.

We're going to move on now.

Senator Grassley...

KENNEDY: Mr. Chairman, I'd appeal the ruling of the chair on this.

SPECTER: There has been no ruling of the chair, Senator Kennedy.

KENNEDY: Well what is the -- my request is that we go into the executive session for the sole purpose of voting on a subpoena for these records that are held over at the Library of Congress -- that purpose and that purpose only.

And if I'm going to be denied that, I'd want to give notice to the chair that you're going to hear it again and again and again and we're going to have votes of this committee again and again and again until we have a resolution.

I think it's...

SPECTER: Well, Senator Kennedy, I'm not concerned about your threats to have votes again, again and again. And I'm the chairman of this committee and I have heard your request and I will consider it.

And I'm not going to have you run this committee and decide when we're going to go into executive session.

We are in the middle of a round of hearings. This is the first time you have personally called it to my attention, and this is the first time that I have focused on it. And I will consider in due course.

Now we'll move to Senator Grassley for 20 minutes.

Comments

[Harvey B. Creech]

Ted Kennedy along with Durbin, Biden and Reid
have most likely set the Democratic party back
about 20 years. No one watching this hearing
will forget someone like Kennedy talking about
ethics, Or Mrs Alito breaking down at the un-
warrented attacks on Judge Alito.
H.B. Creech.