Backers, foes sound off on Alito

Benjamin Grove

Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006 | 8:16 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Liberal and conservative groups outdid themselves last week clamoring for media attention in the battle over Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Groups on both sides blasted e-mails to reporters hourly during the hearings, and activists thronged the sidewalks outside the Hart Senate Office Building to welcome him during his three days of testimony.

"The case against Judge Samuel Alito is overwhelming," said People for the American Way, a liberal group that was a leader against the nominee. (An upstart group, People for the Alito Way, sprung up for the hearings.)

Pro-Alito forces accused Democrats of nasty attacks on Alito.

"Perhaps frustrated by Judge Sam Alito's strong resume, well-qualified ABA rating, and outstanding performance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrats -- with help from the liberal anti-Alito coalition -- have taken off the gloves in an 11th-hour effort to thwart Alito's nomination," said Committee for Justice Chairman (and former Energy Secretary) Spencer Abraham.

The groups have some influence -- senators were seen chatting with a few group leaders during breaks in the Alito grilling, and their research may have helped direct some questioning. But senators, careful not to appear as the puppet of any group, say they mostly ignore the din of the activists. Given the dizzying cacophony the groups create, that may actually be true.

The vote

Alito is expected to win approval, with White House officials predicting he could muster 60 to 70 votes, including the Senate's 55 Republicans, Nevada's John Ensign among them. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has signaled he may not support Alito: "Unfortunately, Judge Alito's responses did little to address my serious concerns about his 15-year judicial record."

Porter's Reid Attack

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., surprised some observers when he singled out Reid for a tongue-lashing over which party is more closely tied to an emerging lobbying scandal in Congress. Reid says it is strictly a Republican scandal, but Porter suggested that Reid is linked to it because he took campaign contributions from clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Porter says the two parties should work together to clean up the image of Congress. But Democratic operatives sounded unwilling at the moment. After Porter attacked Reid, the Democrats noted that Porter has taken money from former Majority Leader Tom Delay,R-Texas, who had close ties to Abramoff and was indicted on an unrelated charge. Democrats wondered why Porter wasn't singling out a number of fellow Republicans who took money directly from Abramoff.

A Porter challenger?

Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen, 29, an aide to the Democratic leader, confirmed last week she is thinking about running for Porter's seat. She'll decide in a few weeks, she said. The Henderson native declined to say what prompted her serious consideration of a bid for the seat. Hafen, who attended Basic High School, is the daughter of long-time Henderson Councilman Andy Hafen.

Porter is thus far unchallenged in his bid for a third term. He defeated Democrat Tom Gallagher by 14 points in 2004. The district is almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

Porter backs Boehner

Porter has thrown his support behind Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, for House Majority Leader. Porter thinks Boehner brings "fresh ideas and a positive agenda" to the party, Porter spokesman T.J. Crawford said. Boehner appears to be the chief rival for the post to Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the perceived front-runner. Delay stepped down amid the growing Abramoff scandal.

Porter has worked closely with Boehner on a few issues -- Boehner is chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, on which Porter serves. Boehner has been an "important ally" in steering money to Nevada for education, Crawford said.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., serving in his last year in Congress, has not privately given a commitment to either Blunt or Boehner and has not decided whom to support, spokeswoman Amy Spanbauer said. House Republicans are expected to vote Feb. 2 for a new leader.

Nevada (finally) gets a passing grade

Nevada often seems to rank at or near the top of bad lists, as a state with a high percentage of teen pregnancies, divorces, high school dropouts and smokers. (The American Lung Association recently gave Nevada an F for its laws ensuring smoke-free air.)

But one survey last week put Nevada in the middle of the pack: the American College of Emergency Physicians gave the state a grade of C- (also the national average) for the support it gives its emergency care systems. Still, group officials said the mediocrity is nothing to cheer, saying they were startled to discover that so many states are unprepared to handle large-scale trauma, such as in the case of a terrorist attack. No state received an A. The highest grades (Bs) went to California, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The lowest (Ds) went to Arkansas, Idaho and Utah.

Law school kudos

Here's a bit of good news for Nevada: the state's only law school, the Boyd School at UNLV, again made the top 100 law schools list, as ranked by U.S. News and World report for its 2006 survey. It held at No. 90, the same position as last year. It's also a bargain, ranked 10th least expensive law school for in-state tuition.

Congress Out

While the Senate Judiciary Committee was back in Washington last week for the Alito hearings, the rest of Congress won't return to resume business until late this month.

Reid this week will be in Washington to continue an "honest government" campaign he waged last week in a tour of several Western states, where he argued that Republicans are responsible for a "culture of corruption" in Congress. Voters will be hearing that phrase a lot in the election year. Reid is expected to huddle with his Senate Democrats on Wednesday for strategy talks. Ensign has no scheduled public events.

Porter has meetings this week with local leaders in Laughlin and Boulder City, and more interviews with local media to hammer away at his message that the unfolding lobbying scandal in Congress will be shared by both parties.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., who is running for governor, plans to stump in Pahrump and meet with school and business leaders there. And Rep. Shelley Berkley , D-Nev., celebrates her 55th birthday on Friday. She plans to fly back to Washington for meetings Wednesday and Thursday with House Democrats, who are finalizing a party agenda for the election year.

Baltimore tunnel fire report

If a nuclear waste-hauling train caught fire in a tunnel, the release of dangerous radioactive material would be minimal, experts concluded in a report presented to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week. The NRC has been studying the issue since a 2001 train fire in a Baltimore tunnel. No nuclear waste was aboard that train, but Nevada officials said the issue should be examined given the proposed federal plan to ship the nation's most radioactive waste by train to Nevada's Yucca Mountain for permanent burial.

The report (a draft version was released last fall) examined three different waste containers and found that one would completely contain waste without breach in a similar fire. The two others would be breached -- but only slightly, releasing "very small" amounts of radioactive residue. Nevada officials still refute the findings, saying their research indicates the waste containers would fail and release significant amounts of radiation.

Benjamin Grove can be reached at (202) 662-7436 or at grove@ lasvegassun.com.

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