A Disturbing Trend Continues

Congress didn't bother to read the porkfest they passed. Now, Sen. Harry Reid is on the record as saying he doesn't intend to read any of the opinions written by Judge Sonia Sotomayor in preparation for the confirmation hearings that will be taking place during the summer.

Virtually every Senator who's asked about Sonia Sotomayor defaults to a riff about how they're withholding judgment until they have an opportunity to nest in leather-bound chairs read to her writings in scholarly solitude for hours and hours.

Not Harry, he's good to go.

"I understand that during her career, she's written hundreds and hundreds of opinions. I haven't read a single one of them, and if I'm fortunate before we end this, I won't have to read one of them,” the majority leader told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Aren't you glad we send these guys to Washington to look after the affairs of the nation?

Is he not the slightest bit interested in knowing whether Sotomayor might turn out to be something that the Democrats don't want to happen? Is he that sure what someone who will spend the rest of their life (or at least until they retire) is thinking about on the key issues of the day - and on her legal approach to handling cases going forward based on incomplete news reports and captions of various legal decisions?

I have no doubt that if it was a GOP nominee, he would be searching tooth and nail for any dicta that might be cause for concern and he and his staff would be burning the midnight oil looking for that gotcha moment for use in the hearings.

In any event, confirmation isn't a rubber stamping procedure, but one that is supposed to make sure that the candidate is qualified. Reid makes a mockery of that process.