The latest in the John Roberts hearing: nothing. In this case, “nothing” means that relying on foreign law is bad. But sometimes it isn’t. Or something like that. At any rate, it seems suspiciously like Roberts is okay with not executing 16 year-olds.
At first this mighty carnival held some sick appeal for me. We all knew long before the hearings started exactly how they would end, but I couldn’t help myself from following all of the minutiae of what wasn’t asked and what wasn’t answered. As a student of human behavior there was something fascinating about the pomp and pageantry of the Senate turning into the world’s biggest circle-jerk, moreso than usual I mean. It was kind of like watching a car crash: there was a sort of beauty in how fucked everything was.
But now, a mere three days in, I’m done. The utter lack of human soulfulness (it is a building full of senators, after all), coupled with Roberts’ unbearably smug “modesty” has left me feeling nothing but hate for everyone involved in the process. And with the novelty worn off (being able to finally turn away from all of the Katrina devastation), it’s finally hitting me that this hearing is an important milestone on the Road to Theocracy. And now I’m just depressed.