Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R.-Pa.) adjourned the hearings at 2 p.m. and reopened them at 2:15 p.m. However, Samuel Alito was missing from the witness table and Specter had to impatiently wait about a minute for him to arrive from a back room.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.), who was next in line for questioning, joked with Alito upon his arrival that the judge had missed his opening statement. "Lost in history," Graham said.
Specter appears committed to running a tight ship, and he's not willing to put up with any delays.
