Yesterday, Bob Casey made what I can only describe as a titanically bad decision: He stated that if he were in the Senate, he would vote to confirm all around nutcase SCOTUS nominee, Sam Alito. I have been trying to defend a lot of things about Casey, to a lot of people. But a decision like this is so bad, it sure makes me think twice.

Casey is pro-life. We all know that. So, if that were the sole reason of concern about Alito, then I might understand. The trouble is, that even as Casey acknowledges, Alito is incredibly dangerous on many more fronts, including the economic issues which Casey wants to highlight in his run against Santorum.

From the article:

"I do not agree with everything that Judge Samuel Alito has done or said - particularly many of his rulings which too often result in corporate power prevailing over the interests of consumers and workers," Casey said.

But, he said, "the arguments against Judge Alito do not rise to the level that would require a vote denying him a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court."

...

Asked to elaborate on Casey's concerns, [Casey Spokesman Larry] Smar cited Alito's rulings on the Family and Medical Leave Act and the minimum wage, both of which he said show Alito's tilt toward business.

Saying Alito has a tilt towards business is like saying Kobe Bryant has a tilt towards taking a lot of shots. Or that Terrell Owens has a tilt towards bad decision making. Alito has a stunningly poor record on economic issues. If Casey would not vote against Alito, is there anyone at all he would vote against? He said this had something to do with the hearings? Those hearings were a ridiculous sham, where Alito refused to answer almost any real question.

It is not like this makes Casey a "moderate Democrat." Senate Democrats are never going to be mistaken for radicals, and only Ben Nelson, the Conservative Democrat from the very conservative Nebraska, is going to vote for Alito. At this point, even Joe Lieberman looks like he will be voting against him. For Bob Casey to say that he will vote for the guy who overturned the Family and Medical Leave Act, who doesn't seem to particularly believe in a federal minimum wage, who will give President Bush even more unchecked power, is deeply troubling, and just a plain old dumb thing to do.

(And, I put zero stock in the fact that Rendell said he would vote to confirm Alito, as well. Rendell's wife sits on the same court as Alito, and he is likely only trying to cover for Casey anyway. If Rendell had any hopes of running for higher office, which he now cannot seriously consider, he would not be saying this. But, now that he is going into a reelection battle with low approval ratings, the Governor is not running for anything else.)