Quakers, Babies and Nuns (Oh My!)

Just what the world wanted - another opportunity to hear Joe Biden, Pat Leahy, Ted Kennedy et al pontificating on national television. This time it's not a judicial nomination, but hearings on the president's terrorism surveillance program. It started out with this classic statement from "Leaky" Leahy:

"My concern is for peaceful Quakers who are being spied upon, and other law-abiding Americans and babies and nuns who are placed on terrorist watch lists," Leahy said.

The beauty of this whole thing is that the Senate Dems so damaged themselves in the Roberts and Alito hearings, that nobody can take them seriously anymore.

Unfortunately, the committee is led by Arlen Specter, a fair-weather Republican on his best day. He's already on record calling the president's program illegal:

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says President George W. Bush's warrantless surveillance program appears to be illegal.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Specter called the administration's legal reasoning "strained and unrealistic" and said the program appears to be "in flat violation" of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

This will be a real circus.