Alito hearings delayed as Senate waits for Cliff Notes and audio book versions

I guess the Senate Judicial committee members are not speed readers. They want more time, although i just think they want time to do their Christmass shopping.

President Bush -- who had wanted an up-or-down vote on his Supreme Court nominee, Samuel Alito, by the end of the year -- said Friday he was disappointed that hearings on his nominee will not begin until January.

"Sam Alito Jr. is a incredibly intelligent, well-qualified person who should be on the court," Bush said while attending the Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. "I told the leadership I thought it would be best to have the hearings before Christmas. They didn´t feel like they could get the job done."

"Fortunately there is a firm date and we look forward to working on that date," Bush said.

Thursday leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee said the confirmation hearings for Alito, who would replace the retiring Justice Sandra Day O´Connor, would begin January 9.

Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said that "simply couldn´t be done" because of the volume of writings Alito has produced in 15 years as a judge.

The Pennsylvania Republican said senators need time to comb through about 300 opinions the New Jersey-based nominee has issued on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"We have to do it right. We can´t do it fast," Specter said.