U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito got a thumbs up from the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says Alito’s nomination is expected to go before the full Senate on Wednesday for debate with a vote possible on Thursday, though Grassley, a republican, doubts it will come that quickly.
Grassley says he’ll vote “yes” to confirm Alito but he says Democrats may “slow walk” or delay a vote until next Tuesday. That would run it up against President Bush’s State of the Union message, so, in Grassley’s words “the good news of Alito’s approval would be lost.”
Grassley says Alito has shown “remarkable resilience” to repeated political attacks that have been thrown at him over the past few weeks of hearings. Grassley says “None of these accusations have stuck because he’s a good man, having sterling credentials and an impeccable record of public service.” Iowa’s other U.S. Senator, Democrat Tom Harkin, says he’ll vote against Alito. Harkin, who authored the Americans with Disabilities Act, fears Alito would help to overturn it.