The opening day of John Roberts’ confirmation hearings were not only dull, they were predictable. Committee members’ opening statements lasted for over three hours, Roberts spoke for about seven minutes, and they were done for the day. Must-see-TV this wasn’t.
There was, however, one moment that stood out. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), perhaps the most conservative senator in the chamber, was reading from a prepared statement and literally choked back tears while reading this paragraph:
“When I ponder our country and its greatness, its weaknesses, and its potential, my heart aches for less divisiveness, less polarization, less finger pointing, less bitterness and less mindless partisanship, which, at times, sounds almost hateful to the ears of ordinary Americans.”
It seemed quite sincere. Coburn’s colleagues seemed stunned. Committee staffers seemed anxious to do something, but didn’t know what. It was the opening day, no one had even said anything controversial or confrontational, and Coburn is already in tears. This is a guy, viewers thought, who takes this stuff seriously.
Or does he? Shortly before Coburn got all choked up, he was seen doing a crossword puzzle.
Moreover, it’s hard to take Coburn’s call for civility too seriously in light of his record. His heart may ache for less divisiveness, polarization, and bitterness now, but less than a year ago, Coburn characterized the race against his Democratic opponent as a battle between “good and evil“; he called lawmakers in his state capital “a bunch of crapheads“; and told an audience that he believes gays have “infiltrated the very centers of power in every area across this country” and represent “the greatest threat to our freedom that we face today.”
Coburn’s right that political attacks can sound “almost hateful” to the ears of ordinary Americans. Too bad he doesn’t realize how much he’s contributed to this problem.