Where in the World Is Article III Groupie?

Article III Groupie just returned to blogging -- but now, sadly enough, she must take her leave of you once again. She's going to be out of the country for the next two weeks or so, attending the overseas wedding of a close friend.

If she gets the chance, A3G will try to do a little blogging and e-mailing while she's away. But she's uncertain about how much internet access she will have in her destination. So please don't be surprised if A3G doesn't blog much over the next two weeks (and please don't be offended if she's unable to respond to your email).

This means that A3G will probably miss much of the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings for her beloved Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. The thought of being away from C-Span and the internet during the Alito hearings, which start up on January 9, upsets A3G as much as missing the Barneys Warehouse Sale did last August. But she had no control over the timing of either the hearings or her friend's wedding, so there's no sense in fretting.

Some people might be relieved to hear that A3G won't be blogging much, if at all, about the Alito hearings. A UTR reader recently drew A3G's attention to this interesting passage in an article in today's New York Times by David D. Kirkpatrick:

"[Judge Alito] will have a couple hairs out of place," said one participant [in the process of preparing Alito for the hearings, a.k.a. the "murder boards"].

"I am not sure his glasses fit his facial features. He might not wear the right color tie. He won't be tanned. He will look like he is from New Jersey, because he is. That is a very useful look, because it is a natural look. He's able to go toe-to-toe with senators, and at the same time he could be your son's Little League coach."

UTR's correspondent remarked to A3G: "You seem to have had an effect on mainstream media judicial coverage!" And the self-involved A3G can't help thinking that Kirkpatrick's source was preemptively refuting an anticipated negative review of Judge Alito's personal style from A3G (especially with that pointed reference to the Garden State, which she and Judge Alito share as a home state).

But if this White House insider was worried about A3G mocking Judge Alito, he need not fret. A3G confesses that, like the notorious Robin Givhan, her assessments of style are often colored by ideological considerations. So even if Judge Alito turns out to be a fashion disaster at the hearings, A3G will probably pull her punches, declining to savage such a staunch conservative. (This self-admitted bias also explains A3G's somewhat harsher treatment of the more dubious Harriet Miers, who was no favorite of conservatives.)

Some of you might be wondering: Where will A3G be spending the next two weeks? Well, if you were a "spicy blogger," where would you go for vacation? Why, India, of course!

Yes, that's right. While Senatrix Dianne Feinstein is asking Judge Alito how he feels about Roe v. Wade "as a man," A3G will be shopping for saris "as a woman." She also looks forward to savoring some samosas (pictured at right) -- hopefully they won't give her gastrointestinal distress. In case she doesn't get to blog between now and the start of the hearings, A3G wishes Judge Alito the very best of luck in his quest for a seat on the Supreme Court!

Comments

[Craig K]

Hmmm-even watching the person cook it in front of you is no guarantee...you don't know what they were doing before you got there. Best not to do street food at all. I speak from bitter experience.

Saris-recommended-the Garden Sari sales in Bombay

Enjoy your trip.

[Power and Politics]

Welcome back, I created a graphic in celebration of your new job - A3G meets Wonkette!

Are you going to use a new icon for the new site?

[Mike]

A3G will be going sari-shopping? I didn't know Prada made saris...

[NBlack]

Can't wait to see how it all pans out for you over at Wonkette. Should be interesting...

[PG]

Re: the avoidance of GI distress in India, try going Brahmin/ Jain and being vegetarian while you're there. Also, don't eat street food unless you watch the guy cook it in front of you.
Re: sari-shopping, bring an Indian to do your negotiating. Even if you know how to bargain, there's always the tourist tax. (At many sites there is a literal tourist tax sanctioned by the government, which ensures that India gets some money out of foreigners while keeping the price of admission to temples, etc. accessible to natives.) I'm not a fan of saris because they're difficult to put on properly and the America's Next Top Model episode with their attempting "Bollywood" looks permanently turned my stomach on badly-worn saris.

[tyrone ferrara]

Here's one for ya as if you haven't already heard:

Spicy Blogger Leaves Attorney's Office
From Associated Press
January 01, 2006 8:11 AM EST

NEWARK, N.J. - A young federal prosecutor who was revealed as the author of a spicy blog about the judiciary is leaving the inner circle. ... A username and password are now required for access to the blog. On the Net: Underneath Their Robes: http://underneaththeirrobes.blogs.com/

Thanks for setting the bar high and hopefully you'll find time to continue pressing the bar.

Tyrone Ferrara

[a3g-lover]

A3G - Welcome back! And thanks for not changing one bit!

It might interest your readers to know that, according to Westlaw, a former US Attorney by the name of David Lat had six reported opinions for cases before the very same Samuel Alito who will shortly be grilled by America's finest senators and senatrixes.

[Traveler]

We look forward to seeing pictures of you in your new sari!

[Sidebar]

Glad to see you back, albeit only for a few days. Looking forward to your return from India and continued posts. Have fun!

[Samuel Alito]

I thank you for your support. Though I'm disappointed that you even read radical leftist broadsheets like the Times.