The Alito Files III - Huffington Posts

There's a couple of interesting posts over at the Huffington Post. First of all is this tidbit from Cenk Uygur.

We interviewed Senator Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) Monday night on The Young Turks. Sen. Salazar is one of the Gang of 14, the group of Senators who saved the filibuster. He indicated in the interview that the filibuster was still a viable option in these upcoming Supreme Court confirmation proceedings for Judge Alito . . .

You can listen to clips of the show at the post.

I do think it's clear that the Alito nomination means the end of the Gang of 14. Some of the Republicans feel that Alito doesn't live up to the Extraordinary Circumstances clause in their contract. And at least one of the Democrats thinks that it does. The more extremist Limbaugh Republicans want the Nuclear Option invoked anyway so this is good news for them.

Byron Williams thinks that Alito is, in the short term, very good for the Bush Presidency.

On the heels of the administration’s worst week—American military death toll passed the 2,000 plateau, the Harriet Miers withdrawal, and the indictment of “Scooter” Libby---the president simply changed the conversation by nominating U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.

By nominating Alito, the president has discovered that the left as well as the right can be unwitting allies in his overarching political need to alter the current conversation.

I don't know how to take that last line. Certainly I see plenty in Alito's background that concerns me, even if it does take the focus off of Libby and Plame and Rove. That said I think we can focus on two things at once (or three counting Iraq).

A few more humerous comments. Paul Krassner reports on a reporter asking an obvious question.

And Bark Bark Woof Woof (who doesn't post at the Huffington Post but is quite good anyway) comments on how to refute an upcoming Republican talking point.