Watching the hearings yesterday was great. Alito came across as brilliant, polite and yet very down to earth. He didn’t have quite the polish of Roberts, but was more forthcoming and clearly and convincingly defended his prior decisions. He completely schooled the questioners, at least in my average Joe view. There is so much commentary all over the web about the hearings, that I really don’t have a lot to add, but I did want to point out two things. One from Biden and one from Schumer.

First, is this rich speech from Biden. (From the WaPo transcript).

BIDEN: Well, it was a pretty outrageous group. I mean, I believe you that you were unaware of it. But here I was, University of Delaware graduate, a sitting United States senator, I was aware of it because I was up there on the campus. I mean, it was a big deal. It was a big deal, at least in our area of the Delaware Valley, if Princeton, Penn, the schools around there had this kind — because the big thing was going on at Brown at the time as well.

And by the way, for the record, I know you know when you stated in your application that you are a member — you said in ‘85, “I am a member” — they had restored ROTC. ROTC was back on the campus.

But again, this is just by way of why some of us are puzzled. Because if I was aware of it, and I didn’t even like Princeton…

(LAUGHTER)

I mean, I really didn’t like Princeton. I was an Irish Catholic kid who thought it had not changed like you concluded it had.

I admit, one of my real dilemmas is I have two kids who went to Ivy League schools. I’m not sure my Grandfather Finnegan will ever forgive me for allowing that to happen.

But all kidding aside, I wasn’t a big Princeton fan. And so maybe that is why I focused on it and no one else did. But I remember it at the time.

Aside from the factual error of the suggestion that in 1985 the ROTC was free and clear back on campus (info provided by the RNC) …

“[Prospect Editor Dinesh] D’Souza Added That CAP Is ‘Concerned’ About The Formation Of A Third World Center, A Campaign To Eliminate The Army ROTC Program, And What It Perceives As The Decline Of Princeton Athletics.” (Charles Stile, “A Conservative Voice Targets The University,” The Princeton Packet, 2/12/85)

… the real fun part of this speech by Biden (because that is what it is, Alito said 72 words in Biden’s 30 minutes) is that he, “all kidding aside” was not a “big Princeton fan.” Check out this excerpt from a speech that Biden gave at Princeton on 2/24/2004.

It’s an honor to be here. It would have even been a greater honor to have gone here. I have three children who have merifully have all finally completed undergraduate and graduate school, and I tried to get all three of them to apply here…I committed a serious mistake, Dean. I’ve learned now, any advice I give…when you become parents, whatever school you want your child to go to, don’t mention it. And so I had been pushing Princeton, and this magnificently attractive, intellectually and physically, beautiful young girl, was a sophomore, was showing us around, and I figured we’ve got a lock now. My son is going to really be interested, and I know Senators aren’t supposed to say things like that, but if he hadn’t been interested, I would have been worried…

Radio Blogger’s got great audio of the Joe Biden Princeton Waffle.

And rather than discuss the Schumer excerpt I wanted to mention, since I’m long on words and short on time, I’ll just point you to the Captain, who excerpted this and then said just about what I was thinking.

SCHUMER: Does the Constitution protect the right to free speech?

ALITO: Certainly it does. That’s in the First Amendment.

SCHUMER: So why can’t you answer the question of: Does the Constitution protect the right to an abortion the same way without talking about stare decisis, without talking about cases, et cetera?

ALITO: Because answering the question of whether the Constitution provides a right to free speech is simply responding to whether there is language in the First Amendment that says that the freedom of speech and freedom of the press can’t be abridged. Asking about the issue of abortion has to do with the interpretation of certain provisions of the Constitution.

UPDATE: The Daily Princetonian has picked up the story.