Hatch's Slapdown of Schumer

Back in 2003, John Roberts faced the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first time and was grilled by the Dems in an effort to determine his personal beliefs. As they will undoubtedly do again this time, they will try to get him to commit as to how he would decide a case before he's heard the arguments, read the case law, and studied the precedents. No jurist in his right mind would agree to answer those questions, and hopefully Roberts will approach the questioning the same way Judge Ginsberg did in 1994. At that time she refused to answer hypothetical questions and the Dems gave her a pass. Roberts won't get a pass, but the Dem hypocrisy will make it easy for us bloggers - kind of like shooting fish in a barrel.

At the time of the last hearing, Senator Orrin Hatch finally had enough with Schumer's questions and didn't hold back (h/t Trey Jackson):

In the beginning of Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Bush nominee John G. Roberts Jr. Chairman Orrin Hatch praised Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer of New York for asking "intelligent" questions, but then Hatch switched gears.

"Some [of his questions] I totally disagree with," Hatch of Utah said. "Some I think are dumbass questions, between you and me. I am not kidding you. I mean, as much as I love and respect you, I just think that's true."

A stunned Schumer asked if he heard the chairman correctly, to which Hatch said yes. Again, Schumer asked Hatch if he would like to "revise and extend his remark," congressional speak for change his mind.

A former trial attorney, Hatch replied: "No, I am going to keep it exactly the way it is. I mean, I hate to say it. I mean, I feel badly saying it between you and me. But I do know dumbass questions when I see dumbass questions."

You can expect more of the same from Schumer.