Biden His Time

In case you didn't watch or listen to the Alito hearings yesterday, Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Pluto) used the first 12 minutes of his question time to uncork one of the most bizarre, free-associative stoner rambles I've seen since freshman year. Here's a snippet from the transcript:

So don't read it as this is one of these things where we know where you are. The people I've spoken to on your court—and it's my circuit—have a very high regard for you. And I think you're a man of integrity. The question is, sometimes some of the things you have said and done puzzle—at least, puzzle me.

And one of the things—this is not part of a line of questioning I wanted to ask—but I did ask you when you were kind enough to come to my office about the Concerned Alumni of Princeton. Were you aware of some of the other things they were saying that had nothing to do with ROTC? Because there was a great deal of controversy.

I mean, I can remember—I can remember this. My son was—well, anyway, he ended up going to that other university, University of Pennsylvania.

But I remember at Princeton, I had spoken on campus in the early '70s. This was a big thing up at Princeton at the Woodrow Wilson School. And I remember—I didn't remember Bill Frist, but I remember that there was this disavowing, that Bill Bradley, this great basketball star, and now United States senator, was disassociating himself with this outfit, that there was a magazine called Prospect. I remember the magazine. [snip]

And by the way, for the record, I know you know when you stated in your application that you are a member—you said in '85, "I am a member"—they had restored ROTC. ROTC was back on the campus.

But again, this is just by way of why some of us are puzzled. Because if I was aware of it, and I didn't even like Princeton…

I mean, I really didn't like Princeton. I was an Irish Catholic kid who thought it had not changed like you concluded it had.

I admit, one of my real dilemmas is I have two kids who went to Ivy League schools. I'm not sure my Grandfather Finnegan will ever forgive me for allowing that to happen.

But all kidding aside, I wasn't a big Princeton fan.

My post-Roberts round-up of Senatorial insanity here.