John Roberts' Confirmation Hearing

Real Clear Politics highlights some of the proceedings. Democrats are fond of mouth farting, but I'm fond of this tidbit from John Cornyn (R-TX):

"Now, I know some of the members of the committee will ask you questions that you can't answer. They'll try to entice you to abandon the rules of ethics and the long tradition described by Justice Ginsburg.
But that should not concern you, Judge Roberts. Don't take the bait."

Blogs for Bush has the live blogging.

And, they're off to a contentious start:
"It took less than an hour before Senators...fell into disagreement over Hurricane Katrina."

"Today, the devastation, despair facing millions of our fellow Americans in the Gulf region is a tragic reminder of why we have a federal government, why it's critical that our government be responsive," said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat and ranking minority member of the panel."

Ted Kennedy: ""The powerful winds and flood waters of Katrina tore away the mask that has hidden from public view the many Americans who are left out and left behind," he said. "As one nation under God, we cannot continue to ignore the injustice, the inequality and the gross disparities that exist in our society."

Cornyn shot back: "We ought not to appropriate a national tragedy in a misguided effort to further a political interest of any sort."

"Wendy Long, counsel for the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network, accused the Democrats of "exploiting the national tragedy."

"Reasonable, fair-minded Democrats should prevail on their more extremist Senate colleagues to back off these inappropriate tactics," she said. "Grandstanding,
deception and cavalierly playing politics with
the human tragedy wrought by the hurricane
will not endear Senate Democrats to the
American people."

Cornyn: "Others likely will make similar attempts in a bizarre effort to link Judge Roberts to the tragedies in the Gulf of Mexico. But Katrina victims should not be used to score political points."