Off the Record

Oh Biden, where is thy sting? After remarkably civil treatment by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Clarence Thomas sailed through his confirmation hearings for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals here in Washington. Judge Thomas—it is safe to use that term now—took the seat vacated by Robert Bork and thus moved closer to a Supreme Court nomination that will doubtless come when Justice Marshall’s body goes the way of his mind.

Of course, that a man of Mr. Thomas’s caliber has to vindicate himself before a jury including Senators Biden and Kennedy says something about the curious state of our nominating process. To make matters worse, the Administration delayed his actual nomination until months after his name had been floated, giving Thomas’s enemies time to gear up. Flush with their victory over Bill Lucas, Bush’s pick for civil-rights chief, the Left was set to pounce on Mr. Thomas.

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Oh Biden, where is thy sting? After remarkably civil treatment by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Clarence Thomas sailed through his confirmation hearings for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals here in Washington. Judge Thomas—it is safe to use that term now—took the seat vacated by Robert Bork and thus moved closer to a Supreme Court nomination that will doubtless come when Justice Marshall’s body goes the way of his mind.

Of course, that a man of Mr. Thomas’s caliber has to vindicate himself before a jury including Senators Biden and Kennedy says something about the curious state of our nominating process. To make matters worse, the Administration delayed his actual nomination until months after his name had been floated, giving Thomas’s enemies time to gear up. Flush with their victory over Bill Lucas, Bush’s pick for civil-rights chief, the Left was set to pounce on Mr. Thomas.