Justice Alito's Quiet Comment Now Shouting Down Obama's Speech

And the Democrats are helping make it the story of the night, burying anything else Obama might have said:

The political furor over President Barack Obama's high profile rebuke of a recent Supreme Court campaign finance ruling escalated Thursday as Democrats pounded the high court decision.

Democrats rallied around Obama the day after the president committed a rare breach of political etiquette, criticizing the controversial ruling in his State of the Union address as members of the high court sat only a few feet away.

The court's 5-4 decision, issued last week, removed long-established legal barriers preventing corporations from spending unlimited sums of money to influence voters in political campaigns. Democrats fear the decision has given the traditionally pro-business GOP a powerful new advantage.

"With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests - including foreign corporations - to spend without limit in our elections," Obama told a packed House of Representatives chamber Wednesday night.

"I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems."

Justice Samuel Alito, part of the court's conservative majority, could be seen apparently frowning and quietly mouthing the words "not true."

Supreme Court justices rarely express any hint of emotion or opinion during the president's State of the Union speech.

Alito certainly as lots of reasons to dislike Obama. After all the president voted to filibuster Alito's nomination during his brief few moments in the Senate.

Obama's comments were typical of the petulant, immature man-child that he is. If he doesn't get his way on EVERY issue, he pouts. Last night when Republicans refused to fall for an applause line he put in the speech just for them he was visibly angry. He got used to adulation and worship during the campaign and the adjustment to reality has been hard for him. This whole episode was very banana republic - trying to humiliate your political opposition in public.

Republican presidents have had plenty of disagreements with the Supreme Court, but none of them would ever have considered calling them out during a State of the Union, nor would their fellow GOP members have stood and applauded such treatment as the Democrats did last night.

It won't happen, but I would love to see Chief Justice John Roberts issue a letter to both the White House and the Congress expressing his disappointment at the antics of the president and the Democrats in Congress, and reminding them that the Supreme Court is a co-equal branch of the U.S. government. A little civics lesson, not to mention a civility lesson, is needed.

And there's another reason why Obama's tirade and the Dem reaction was foolish - Justices are humans, not machines. While they may pledge their allegiance to a strict following of the law, their human emotions come into play as well and the sights and sounds from last night will stick with them - especially the next time some liberal hot button case comes before them. They may not be able to go out and make speeches denouncing their opposition, but they can stick it to them via their opinions and votes.

I wonder how many justices will appear for Obama's next State of the Union? If I were on the court I think I'd find something else to do that night.