When Samuel Alito appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his 2006 confirmation hearings, one dramatic moment stood out above all others: the time his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, burst into tears and stormed out of the room over what she perceived as unfair attacks on her husband.
While barely remembered today, the incident proved pivotal, instantly generating sympathy for the nominee and his aggrieved spouse. Fearful of looking like bullies, Democrats by and large lost their ardor to block his confirmation. When after a short break, Alito walked back into the hearing room, holding his wife’s hand and kissing her on the cheek, his White House sherpas were ecstatic. “It was game, set, match,” recalls Steve Schmidt, the veteran operative tapped by President George W. Bush to quarterback the Alito nomination.
