Fifteen years ago, liberal Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D.-N.J.) was the lone senator to offer an endorsement of then-appellate court nominee Samuel Alito on the Senate floor. ??¢â???¬?????Alito has the experience and the skills to be the kind of judge the public deserves??¢â???¬ ¦quot;one who is impartial, thoughtful, and fair. I urge the Senate to confirm his nomination,??¢â???¬ Lautenberg said April 27, 1990, the day Alito was confirmed for a seat on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
But when Human Events Online reported Lautenberg??¢â???¬â???¢s remarks on Monday after President Bush tapped Alito for the Supreme Court, it took Lautenberg (below) a mere two hours to change his mind. ??¢â???¬?????Fifteen years ago, I supported Samuel Alito to be a judge based on his record as the United States attorney for New Jersey, but his tenure on the appeals court has been marked by troubling decisions,??¢â???¬ he said. ??¢â???¬?????Judge Alito has demonstrated a hostility to fundamental civil rights, and his record on the bench must be closely scrutinized by the Senate.??¢â???¬
