Sotomayor Hearings - Day 1

Someone on the radio said that the exchange between Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sonia Sotomayor was staged; that the questions and answers were scripted. I was impressed by the senator's questions and the tempo of his investigation. They were unexpectedly probing and pointed. I don't think its much of a stretch that he thought these questions out beforehand. But to think that Ms. Sotomayor's answers were prepared and coached, even scripted, is just scary. Her answers are rambling and disjointed. She doesn't sound like she's reciting a canned answer at all.

For instance, when the senator asked her if the Constitution was a "living document", her answer was not clear. She said it was "immutable" except by amendment and then stumbled (ad libbed?) the part about the specification of the amendment process in the Constitution. She said that the document has stood the test of time for 200 years and then ends the statement with "it is society that changes." What does that mean? Is that the caveat that allows her to ignore the Constitution?

It is frightening to think that this exchange was scripted. In fact, I can't tell that she was coached at all. She sounds like she's trying very hard to keep a lid on things. She sounds like she is ready to explode. And we want this thing on the highest bench in the land?