IRONY ALERT:

Kennedy Says Alito 'Itching to Overturn Roe v. Wade' (Nathan Burchfiel, 1/20/06, Cybercast News Service)

U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on Thursday said he plans to vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito because the judge is "itching to overturn Roe v. Wade."

Kennedy explained his position on Alito's confirmation, which is expected sometime next week, during a speech to the liberal Center for American Progress. The group, founded by John Podesta, who served as the chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, opposes Alito's confirmation because it fears Alito would cause "a profound shift in the ideological balance of the Court."

Kennedy summed up liberal talking points against Alito, touching on several aspects of the judge's record and noting that his views on women's rights "should give every woman pause" because he is "itching to overturn Roe v. Wade," the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

Alito's record is "clear and ominous," Kennedy said, and he should not be confirmed considering the "new attacks on the progress we have made in civil rights." He was referring to President Bush's authorization of secret, warrant-less wiretaps of Americans with suspected ties to al Qaeda.

You'll notice that the Constitution is still "living and breathing" after Ted Kennedy took it for a joyride.