In the space of 43 minutes on Friday, Senator Susan Collins put a perfect period on this sordid chapter in American political history.
Amid palpable national tension and with the fate of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination yoked on her shoulders, Collins chose not to release the pressure by launching into the allegations against him and how they would affect her vote. Not right away, at least. Instead, she provided a stern lecture to a nation that had earned every word.
Collins first focused on something that has eluded most amid the litigation of our national mock criminal trial: the nominee's judicial philosophy. In an exhaustive exploration of Judge Kavanaugh's opinions and dissents, Collins contended—much to the chagrin of conservative judicial activists—that Kavanaugh's opponents had done him a grave disservice by labeling him an ideologue.
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