Tells how Senators use the hearings to grandstand for their constituents… At the Alito hearing, the Democrats were erratic and disoriented, as if suffering from a malaise.
"Still, there are nuances that are coming through, and it's important to build the record and use the hearings to advance the debate".
Mr. Thomas has used the hearings to channel the widespread public outrage over the disconnect between the rewards Wall Street reaped while the economy teetered.
But they would need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, and an election year gives the Republicans an extra incentive to use the hearings to score political points.
Republicans will use the hearings to argue that Democrats are ignoring the gains made under the surge in an effort to placate opponents of the war.
American lawyers assisting the Iraqi tribunal say Iraqi rules of procedure will give judges wide discretion to curb defendants who attempt to use the hearings for political ends.
Mr. Summers also used the hearings to promote his own proposals to introduce changes in the way the I.M.F. and the World Bank work.
Two Democratic senators who are presidential candidates made clear today they would use the hearings to denounce Mr. Bush on the environment.
This is perhaps the least independent of the possible inquiries, since Mr. Bruno may want to use the hearings to divert attention from his own questionable use of taxpayer-funded helicopters.
The chiefs did not propose a specific overall increase in the military budget, but they used the hearings to outline what they said were the most pressing needs facing the armed services.
