Progressive Nation

January 13th, 2006

Spotlight on Princeton

I see that Howard beat me to the punch on addressing some of the absurd(ly comical) statements from the Alito confirmation hearings. But just for the heck of it, here are a few more (I think) genuinely funny comments that pertain to this institution:

Day 3
SEN. GRAHAM: Now, your days at Princeton. The more I know about Princeton, it’s an interesting place. (LAUGHTER) What is an eating society?
ALITO: The eating clubs are privately owned facilities that upper classmen join for the purpose of taking their meals. The first two years, when I was there — the situation is now a bit more diversified as far as eating is concerned — but when I was there, and traditionally the freshmen and sophomores ate in university dining halls. And then, as juniors and seniors, they had to find other places to eat, and these were private facilities.
GRAHAM: What is a selective eating society?
ALITO: It’s one where you apply to be a member, like a fraternity, and you go through a process that is somewhat similar to that, and they select you if they like you.
GRAHAM: Were you a member of a selective eating society?
ALITO: No, I was not.
GRAHAM: Did people not like you or you just didn’t apply? (LAUGHTER)ALITO: I didn’t apply.
GRAHAM: Well, let me tell you who did apply. Donald Rumsfeld was a member of a selective eating society at Princeton. And that’s an interesting comment, I thought. Woodrow Wilson. Jim Leach, good friend of mine over in the House.
Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana, was a member of a nonselective eating society. Senator Claiborne Pell was a member of nonselective eating societies.
And other Princeton alumni who are members of Congress could not verify their participation or lack thereof in eating clubs, including Senator Sarbanes, Bond, Frist and Representative Marshall.
GRAHAM: And I promise you I’ll get to the bottom of that before this is all done. (LAUGHTER)
~
Another comment from Senator Biden’s lecture at the Woodrow Wilson School in February of 2004.

“Is the “Memorial Library” the name of your library? (interjection: “Firestone”) Oh, the Firestone Library… that magnificent building, those steps, like walking up to the Capitol. And we started up the steps, we opened up the door, and literally, every cube was filled in the library; I mean it, literally, top to bottom.”

Steps leading up to Firestone? What part of the library looks like the Capitol? Did he really visit Princeton …?

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