Alito Shiving the Senate?

Yesterday I wondered how truthful Judge Alito was being about his respect for precedent. I thought he needed to be challenged on this; his lip service needed to be contrasted with his record.

Well, today we learn that he has a history of lying to the Senate to get confirmed:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats on Wednesday stepped up their scrutiny of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito's role in a 2002 case that they say could pose a possible conflict of interest.

When Alito became a federal appeals court judge in 1990, he promised to recuse himself from cases involving Vanguard mutual funds, because he had personal investments through the company. Yet he participated in a case decided in 2002 involving Vanguard.

Several Democrats have said they are troubled by this, though it is not clear whether it will emerge as a major issue in Alito's confirmation process.

This needs to be exposed. It's near-impossible to get inside somebody's head and determine how they will rule. But saying one thing to get confirmed and doing another does not reflect well on judicial temperament. Judges aren't supposed to say anything to get the job. That's what politicians are supposed to do.