Seeking Confirmation
From the July 12, 2010 issue of TIME Magazine
One distinctive Washington ritual is the Virtually Guaranteed Confirmation Hearing. The nominee needs only to avoid a major mistake. It's a bit like being out in a thunderstorm: a lot of wind and noise, an occasional flash — but rarely dangerous if you're careful. Two such hearings occurred simultaneously this week. Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan dodged raindrops in one room while the commander-designee for Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, avoided lightning rods in another. Their styles set them apart. Given the implosion of his predecessor, Petraeus was like the only firefighter at a burning house. The job was his; how soon could he start? Asked when the endless war would end, he straddled cautiously. Kagan, by contrast, faced Republicans who hoped to stir up a tempest. She let a smile be her umbrella. Asked to defend a passage in her master's thesis, she answered, "I didn't know a whole lot of law then." Another Senator asked her where she was when the underwear bomber struck on Christmas Day. "Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant," Kagan parried. Everyone laughed as the thunder faded.