12 seconds ago 2009-12-04T15:50:02-08:00
In the polite, white-hot world of confirmation hearings, senators and witnesses can't always say what they want to say. So they speak in code. Here's a translation of what was said in the opening moments of the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings, and what the players actually meant:
WHAT SHE SAID: "If I introduced every one that's family," Sotomayor said with a strong voice and a smile, "we'd be here all morning."
WHAT SHE MEANT: I may not look like all of you but, trust me, I'm no different than every other family-loving American. I'm surrounded by people who love me.
WHAT HE SAID: "Judge Sotomayor's journey to this hearing room," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., "is truly an American story."
WHAT HE MEANT: If you love America, you'll love Sotomayer -- or at least vote for her.
WHAT HE SAID: " ... a struggle ripe with anti-Semitism .... likewise, the first Catholic nominee ...," Leahy said, underscoring that Sotomayor, like Catholic and Jewish nominees before her, would be a barrier-breaking justice.
WHAT HE MEANT: Criticize Sotomayor at your own risk. You don't want to sound racist.
WHAT HE SAID: Leahy said nobody should demonize "this extraordinary woman, her success or her understanding of the duties she's faithfully performed the last 17 years."
WHAT HE MEANT: Criticize Sotomayor at your own risk. Don't be sexist.
-Ron Fournier, AP Washington bureau chief
