Teddy The "Lion" Leads Democrat Fight Against Supreme Court Nominee

Sycophantic ravings from the Boston Globe:

Kennedy opposition carries risks for Supreme Court fight
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff July 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy's ringing baritone carried over the nearly empty Senate chamber, sounding a warning on a familiar subject. The liberal lion stood behind his desk in the chamber's last row and promised an aggressive and detailed grilling of whomever President Bush selects for the Supreme Court.

Kennedy, who set the stage for the most contentious confirmation battle of recent history with his furious ''Robert Bork's America" speech 18 years ago, is now poised to take the lead for the Democrats in the fight over Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's replacement. Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader, has tapped him as the Democrats' point person for strategy and messaging in a campaign that will be run out of Kennedy's office, where more than 20 staffers have been preparing since February.

"The American people deserve to know whether nominees would roll back civil rights laws, or uphold the rights of the disabled, the elderly, and minorities," Kennedy thundered on Wednesday, in a speech that referenced rejections of nominees offered by presidents Washington, Madison, Polk, and Hoover. "The American people are entitled to know if a nominee respects women's right to equal treatment in our society and to privacy in making reproductive decisions."

In a Senate in which 56 of the 100 members have never cast a vote on a Supreme Court nominee, Kennedy -- the longest-serving member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in history -- is poised to weigh in for the 20th time. He is acutely aware of his role as a storehouse of institutional knowledge. And the fire is still in him, as he takes to the well of the Senate whenever he can secure floor time in order to lay out his requirements for the next justice.

***
In recognition of these changed circumstances, there has been a different tone to Kennedy's public comments and his behind-the-scenes preparations. The senator who ripped into Bork within an hour of his nomination in 1987 -- describing the ''back-alley abortions" and ''segregated lunch counters" of ''Robert Bork's America" -- is saying that this time, he's unlikely to take a public position on the nominee until his or her record is vetted by the Judiciary Committee.

[Full story]

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
This is what passes for unbiased reporting in the newsrooms of the mainstream media: the Globe "lionizes" Teddy Kennedy by referring to him as a "liberal lion". I doubt that term was applied in anything other than a flaterring fashion -- otherwise, the Globe would have referred to Teddy as the "liberal dinosaur", which is much more accurate. No, the Globe went with "lion" -- the regal "king of the beasts". I suppose it's fitting when writing about a member of "America's royal family".

When was the last time someone on the right (especially one as outspokenly conservative as Teddy is outspokenly liberal) was called a "conservative lion" by the mainstream press? I certainly don't remember such glowing press accounts about Jesse Helms whenever the media covered his power as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

What's even more egregious about this "news" story is that it acknowledges that Teddy "the Swimmer" has been over-the-top at times in his rhetoric (see, e.g., his ruthless and hate-filled smear of Judge Bork), but nevertheless treats his tendency toward such excesses as being one of his strengths, if not an outright virtue (i.e. Teddy's rhetorical skills have the power to expose "conservative extremist" judges as the threats they are to our very way of life).

Sycophantic mainstream media Kennedy-loving suckups.

UPDATE:
Here is what a "Google" search turned up for press accounts using the phrase "conservative lion" (notice closely the context whenever that term is used):

On his radio show, conservative lion Rush Limbaugh said: "What Lott said is utterly indefensible and stupid. I don't even want to attempt to explain or defend it. Yes, there's a double standard on this stuff, but you have to take this into consideration before you open your stupid mouth." CBSNews.com, "A Whole Lott-a Trouble", Dec. 11, 2002.

Conservatives are trying to ruin PBS
I've watched as the conservative charge of "liberal bias" in the media has grown from a low roar to one that is nearly deafening. Today, in the hands of Ken Tomlinson, the new PBS conservative Republican boss, the charge "liberal bias" threatens to destroy the national treasure that is PBS. They cite Bill Moyers on NOW as "liberal bias" proof. Yet I can't remember a single charge of "conservative bias" all the years we watched that conservative lion William F. Buckley on PBS. Letter to the Editor of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, June 29, 2005.

The Senate’s conservative lion [Jesse Helms] passed the torch to America’s young people at a huge gathering, urging them to stand up and be counted for principle. NewsMax.com, "Helms: Leaving the Senate but Not the Fight", Feb. 1, 2002.

While Wolcott was certainly hoping for a Bush defeat in the November elections, his disgust with the shouting class has less to do with their conservatism (if they actually adhere to any ideology other than self-promotion) than with their scorched-earth style of rhetoric. Wolcott does not mourn the rise of "modern conservatism", but the death of serious public debate. It could be argued that the late 1960's were a more contentious period, but then there was an actual public dialogue. Thoughtful people sat down in public and discussed the merits of their ideas. An infamous debate between conservative lion William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal intellectual Gore Vidal occurred on ABC News during the 1968 Democratic Convention. Even such seasoned intellectuals are prone to outbursts and the debate nearly ended in a brawl after this exchange:
Vidal: "the only pro or crypto-Nazi here is yourself."
Buckley: "Now listen, you queer, you stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I'll sock you in the goddamn face and you'll stay plastered." Arch City Chronicle, May 2, 2005.

William Safire, conservative lion of The New York Times op-ed page for three decades, revealed he'd give up his column three months ago, and published his last one on Jan. 24. New York Daily News, Feb. 22, 2005.

Jesse Helms, the old conservative lion, was doing what he always liked best - sticking a thumb in the communists' eye. Raleigh News & Observer, "Helms still feisty in retirement", October 17, 2003.

Others gave voice to their admiration for Reagan, a conservative lion whose genial personality often transcended partisan politics. CNN.com, "Americans line up to pay respect to Reagan", June 8, 2004.

Okay, let's start with the very first reference: "... conservative lion Rush Limbaugh ..." in the context of Rush criticizing Trent Lott for his comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday party. Got that? The MSM considers Rush a "loudmouth blowhard" on most occasions, but when he's criticizing a fellow conservative or a Republican, he's a "conservative lion".

Next up is a letter to the editor of the Honolulu Star Bulletin referring to "conservative lion William F. Buckley". But notice the context? Why, PBS can't possibly be "liberal" because once upon a time they used to air a program hosted by that right-winger Bill Buckley.

Next we see a NewsMax story referring to Jesse Helms as a "conservative lion". However, NewsMax is a generally partisan (conservative) news site, and can hardly be considered "mainstream media".

Then, a story with another reference to William F. Buckley as a "conservative lion". But, again, notice the context. Buckley is referred to as a "conservative lion" juxtaposed against Gore Vidal as the "liberal intellectual". The story then goes on to relate how Buckley threatened Vidal with physical violence. You see? Buckley is, unlike Vidal, not an "intellectual", but a "lion" who reacts with violence to Vidal's powers of superior intellect.

Finally, we have a series of stories referring to retiring or recently deceased conservatives as "conservative lions". In the retiring category are William Safire and Jesse Helms. In the category of recently deceased is President Ronald Reagan. It's all well and good to be complimentary at someone's retirement or death. But how often were Safire, Helms, or Reagan referred to as "conservative lions" at the height of their careers?

UPDATE # 2 (7/19/05):
A "Google" search of media references to Teddy Kennedy as a "liberal lion" turned up countless occurrences -- far too many to recount here.