According to my handy Word Web program, SUPREME means Final or last in your life or progress; greatest in status, authority or power; highest in excellence or achievement. These definitions seem to only loosely apply to the interminably BORING Sam Alito grilling by the Senate Judiciary Committee. (If you have trouble sleeping at night, tape or TIVO this to assure swift slumber.) While the word scintillating would never be used to describe Mr. Alito, (although Fox News defined his style as "cool"… as in calm) the ponderous & verbose preambles by the Senators, as they question him, is truly unnecessary & mind-numbing. (The Senators must love to hear the sound of their own voices, in the hopes that they will seem wise & deeply engaged in the process.)

I still believe that G. W. Bush should have nominated another woman, to give the Court some balance. Additionally, the gravity of a Supreme Court nomination would be less if Justices were not allowed to hog the bench for life (or in O’Connor’s case, retirement). I support term limits for the Supreme Court as well. In time they grow out of touch. Case in point: The atrocious Eminent Domain Law, that permits local governments to seize property from its citizens for commercial interests. Any judge that ruled in its favor should be bounced. People who are currently fighting for their homes should be allowed to stand outside the respective Justices’ homes with torches & pitchforks. (& the “villagers” should start at the home of Justice John Paul Stevens, who wrote the majority opinion. In an August speech Stevens stated that he had concerns about the results yet, “the ruling was legally correct because the high court has always allowed local policy-makers wide latitude in determining how best to achieve legitimate public goals.")

As always, the centerpiece of the questions for days was abortion, inclusive of Alito’s 1985 statement on the subject. (Who hasn’t changed their mind or gained wisdom in 20 years? In 1985 I thought big hair was chic & that anyone over 40 was out of touch.) Why does this issue always overshadow the greater good of American life & the Constitution? Issues such as the preservation of individual rights & freedoms, torture, eminent domain, limitation of government’s growth & dominion in our lives, etc. have far more impact I would like the Senators to recognize these realities & for Alito to speak to them, beyond the sound bytes I have heard thus far. I also wish the Court would do something about sentencing guidelines that throw the book at a drug addict on possession while murders & rapists get light sentences or dismissed on technicalities.

While the American Bar Association unanimously designated Sam Alito as “well-qualified”, whether he will be confirmed as our next Supreme Court Judge is still uncertain. I still think the vote can go either way. For me, the greater issues are reform of the confirmation process & a revamping of the Court as a whole. In the meantime, the hearings drone on………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.