Confirmation Page #10

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- No!

- Yes, absolutely!

- No!

- Yes!

- God, there is a law against that.

- (TELEPHONE RINGING)

We do not expose

citizens' private viewing records.

Carolyn Hart.

Wow.

Angela Wright...

- That's us, we should go.

- ...will soon be with us.

We think,

but now we're told that Angela Wright has,

what we used to call

in the legal trade, cold feet.

Wait, what?

Is Angela Wright backing out?

No, I went over the witness list

with Biden's office. She's still on it.

- So he's lying.

- He knows she's a threat.

- He's discrediting her.

- SONIA:
Exactly.

Did you fire her? And if you did, what for?

Um, she referred to a male member

of my staff as a f*ggot.

That's a lie. I did no such thing.

- That was enough for you?

- That was more than enough.

That is kind of the way you are, isn't it?

That is how I am

when it comes to that kind of conduct.

She's a credible witness

that'll testify Thomas harassed her, too,

and they're smearing her

just like they smeared Anita.

- This is completely unethical.

- Exactly.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ON TV)

I won't get into those old saws,

but I will tell you

that I do love Shakespeare,

and Shakespeare would love this.

This is about love and hate,

and cheating, and disgust, and avarice.

All those things

that make that remarkable bard read today.

Othello. Read Othello,

and don't ever forget this line.

"Good name in man and woman,

dear my Lord."

Christ.

You remember this scene?

"Is the immediate jewel of our souls."

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

MALE REPORTER:
Good evening.

Clarence Thomas went on the attack today

- accusing his critics of using blatant racism...

- Thank you.

...to keep him off the Supreme Court.

But he said he had rather died...

They said they'll call you tomorrow.

The dramatic testimony

- came during a grueling...

- Mmm-hmm.

They apologize for any inconvenience.

Did they apologize

for trashing my reputation?

Did they apologize for that?

Have a nice day, sir.

Chief of Staff John Sununu telling CNN

Anita Hill's credibility has been undermined

and that calls to the White House

are overwhelmingly in Thomas's favor.

Even the people at the White House

were stunned

by what they consider the lackluster

performance of the Democrats.

They couldn't understand

why they were just sitting there

and not challenging Thomas

and being more assertive.

We need to be pushing harder to the press.

- CHARLES:
We need to push back.

- SHIRLEY:
Well, they beat us to that.

Journalists calling to confirm

Anita's lesbianism

(ALL BICKERING)

...and to inquire about

an official diagnosis of erotomania.

- What is that?

- Think it means what it says.

FEMALE REPORTER:

In a decision that apparently

was personally approved by the President,

they decided to go after her

and to float all sorts of stories

about erotic fantasies

and that she has psychological problems.

MALE REPORTER:
Today, spectators will

watch corroborating witnesses

attempt to support both

Judge Thomas and Professor Hill

and continue to struggle

with who is telling the truth.

Have you seen these?

Fifty percent of Americans believe him.

Twenty-five percent believe her.

- Ricki.

- Your boss is f***ing this up.

It is not your place to tell the chairman

of the Judiciary Committee how to do his job.

(SIGHS)

(CLEARS THROAT) Last time I checked,

you worked for a senator, too,

and maybe you should bring it up with him.

Are you sure you want to do this?

Yes.

Because there'll be no way to keep it quiet.

Checked on Anita Hill's

former students in Oklahoma.

- And what'd you find?

- They basically all said the same thing.

She's tough but fair.

Senator Brown's office did talk

to some guys from Oral Roberts,

where she worked before Oklahoma,

and they did have a story,

but it seemed pretty...

What'd they say?

Well, they said

that Anita Hill had put pubic hair

between the pages of their term papers.

Anita Hill put pubic hairs

in her students' term papers.

No, I don't think so.

That is what they said, but it was

after the whole Coke can thing, so...

We need affidavits from them.

We do? Okay.

Um, sorry, it just seems so unlikely that...

Well, we have no idea what's

likely or unlikely from this woman.

Sorry, sir. Yes, sir.

A CBS news poll conducted just yesterday

shows most Americans believe

that neither Thomas nor his accuser

Anita Hill told the entire truth.

I was hoping I could

have a quick word with you, if it's okay.

- Sure. Sit.

- (TV SWITCHES OFF)

Okay, so let me start by saying

I get why you've been quiet

through all of this.

I'm sure a lot of people much smarter than me

have told you that's the way to go.

And who knows? Maybe they're right, but...

She's all alone out there, sir.

You ever taken a polygraph before, Miss Hill?

- No, I have not.

- Okay.

WOMAN:
She told me she was being subjected

to sexual harassment from her boss.

That boss was Clarence Thomas.

She told me Clarence Thomas

asked her out on dates

and showed an unwanted

sexual interest in her.

PATRICK:
Is she, in your estimation,

a woman who suffers

from fantasies in any way

or is she pretty levelheaded?

She's one of the most

levelheaded people I know.

PATRICK:
Thank you, Judge.

- MAN:
Is your name Anita F. Hill?

- Yes.

Various psychiatrists have come forward

to state as a general principle,

not as a diagnosis of an individual

but as a general principle,

that there is a specific disorder.

So here is this foul stack of stench

justifiably offensive in any category,

and I ask you why, after she left his power,

or whatever it was that gave her fear

or revulsion or repulsion...

Why did she, twice after that,

visit personally with him in Tulsa, Oklahoma?

I get Christmas cards from people I don't see

from one end of the year to the other end

and do not wish to.

I also return their cards

and will return their calls.

And these are people who have insulted me

and done things which perhaps

have been degrading at times.

But these are the things

you have to put up with.

And being a black woman,

you have to put up with a lot.

So you grit your teeth, and you do it.

- Senator Kennedy.

- Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Some people just don't want to believe you.

You have to understand

that they just don't want to believe you,

- and they don't want to believe Professor Hill.

- (SIGHS)

But I hope, Mr. Chairman...

I hope that we're not going to hear

a lot more comments,

unworthy, unjustified comments

about fantasy stories picked out of books

and law cases

after we've heard from this panel.

I hope we can clear this room of the dirt

and innuendo

about over-the-transom information.

I hope we're going to be sensitive

to the attempts of character assassination

on Professor Hill.

They're unworthy.

And quite frankly, I hope we're not going

to hear a lot more about racism

as we consider this nominee.

Fact is that these points

of sexual harassment

are made by an Afro-American

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