How would you rate Samuel Alito's performance at his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill?

Paul Begala

Legal analysis: The guy's no dummy.

Presentation: Alito has all the charisma of Squiggy from "Laverne and Shirley." But he can't help being a nerd. He can help being a dissembler. When he says the racist, anti-women Concerned Alumni of Princeton was really about ROTC, he is not credible. In fact, his pants were on fire.

Avoiding pitfalls: I might re-characterize that as "avoiding honest answers." He gave three versions of why he broke his word and ruled on a case affecting his investments. He says he can't recall why he joined the elitist CAP. He says, after 25 years of opposing Roe v. Wade, both personally and professionally, that he'll keep an open mind about abortion. Yeah, right.

Terence Jeffrey

Legal analysis: Unfortunately, Judge Alito has not had as much time as he should to address serious legal issues because some Democrats, such as Sen. Joe Biden, have been more interested in hearing themselves than hearing Alito. Sen. Ted Kennedy has been more interested in Alito's mutual fund investments and whether or not he should have remembered he was a member of the Concerned Alumni of Princeton than he is in Alito's legal views. Why haven't Democrats asked Alito more about his views on the Establishment Clause, the Commerce Clause, or the Takings Clause, all of which have been central to recent controversial Supreme Court decisions? I suspect they know the majority in the country do not agree where they stand on those issues.

Presentation: Judge Alito has maintained a remarkably even demeanor considering some of the attacks that have been leveled against him.

Avoiding pitfalls: Judge Alito has done a better job than even Chief Justice Roberts did of not disavowing earlier statements critical of Roe, while refusing to reveal how he would vote on future cases.

On track for confirmation: The fact that Democrats are falling back on bogus ethics issues such as his non-recusal from the Vanguard case demonstrates they do not have a substantive argument against him.