Kennedy's flare up.

Senator Kennedy just made a big scene about requesting some Library of Congress papers having to do with the activities of the Concerned Alumni of Princeton. Alito has been consistently downplaying the significance of that organization to him, even though we all know that he used it as a credential in applying for a job in the Reagan Administration back in 1985.

What is the relevance of these papers? They could provide some basis for making an inference about what Alito really knew about CAP, but it is rather marginal. Kennedy tried to bluster his way toward portraying the papers as a smoking gun that would prove Alito a racist, a sexist, and a liar. He seemed to want to trip up the hearings and grind them to a halt. He asked to take the committee into executive session to decide whether to issue a subpoena. Specter tried to quell him, but that just fired him up, so Specter locked into I'm-the-chairman mode, said he wouldn't rule, and when Kennedy said he appealed the ruling, said he hadn't ruled, banged the gavel, and set up the seemingly shaken Senator Grassley to return us to normal-style questioning.

Whew! That was ugly... but kind of funny too, especially the part where Kennedy said Specter received his notice that he was requesting the documents, and Specter got all huffy about how Kennedy was in no position to say what he (Specter) had received, and Kennedy countered with his authority to say what he (Kennedy) had sent.

UPDATE: Joe's Dartblog has the transcript and some choice words for Kennedy.

ANOTHER UPDATE: After the lunch break, the mood is quite different. Kennedy is whipped, looking down, speaking in a circumspect tone. Specter is smirking and quietly triumphant. Very amusing!