Samuel Alito is never going to a State of the Union address ever again, because he found out people don't like it when Supreme Court justices disagree outwardly with stuff the president says, like he did at the last one. Alito does not want to sit there "like the proverbial potted plant," he said, because how fair is it when only the one guy delivering a speech is allowed to talk during the speech? Alito and Joe Wilson should get to shout out racial epithets at Obama or perform scenes from A Streetcar Named Desire during the State of the Union if they want to. They are just as important as that guy.
Alito, answering questions following a speech Wednesday at the conservative Manhattan Institute in New York, also said, "Presidents will fake you out." The institute provided an online video link to Alito's talk and question-and-answer session.
The president will begin a sentence with an invocation of the country's greatness, Alito said. If justices don't jump up and applaud, "you look very unpatriotic," he said.
But, Alito continued, then the president may finish the thought by adding "because we're conducting a surge in Iraq or because we're enacting health care reform." Justices aren't supposed to react to statements about policy or politics.
And they're not supposed to tell the president "not true" when he's speaking, but whatever. Obama probably tricked Alito into doing that!
All Alito wants to do is go down to Congress and 1) stand up when somebody says something nice about America and 2) sass the prez a little when he mentions he disagrees with the Supreme Court. But if he can't do that, we may as well not even have a Constitution. How about that? Would that make you happy? [ AP ]
Hey Samuel. It's called "judicial restraint." Try it.
Well played!