11:20 - Senator John Cornyn, TX. So far, hearings have gone well, done a good job of laying out his family history. Observing the Ginsburg standard, he should reserve his judgment on specific issues, but he has answered questions extensively. Good common-sense answers have shown Alito obviously well-qualified for the position.

11:22 - Bloggers force the MSM to deal with "inconvenient facts"; we're making a difference in coverage, which he feels is critical.

11:23 - Historically, presidential nominees have had the presumption of confirmability. Democrats want to change that to a presumption of non-confirmability, which sets up a double standard for Bush's nominees.

11:26 - This is turning into a trial, with everyone playing cross-examiner.

11:27 - Almost all of the Democratic resistance is fund-raising; Schumer is the chair of the DSCC and can't afford to do anything but obstruct.

11:28 - The process isn't designed to elicit information; it's designed to make speeches.

11:32 - Senator Cornyn thinks that Specter's focus on abortion in the first round has to do more with defusing tough issues. His own strategy will be to deconstruct the notion of Alito as an alleged supporter of an imperial presidency.

11:36 - O'Connor was a critic of Roe, saying that Casey was a stopgap designed to get around the bad law analysis in Roe. Wait for Cornyn to attack the "bogus construct".

11:38 - Cornyn would like to have seen a woman appointed to the position, and he thinks that Bush will have at least one more opportunity. He's more concerned with the excellent qualifications that Alito has for the job. He will also bring up the ABA treatment of the Vanguard issue, showing its empty nature.

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