Can't Lay A Glove On Him

Perhaps for lack of greater insight into the true nature of John Roberts, the NYT’s confirmation coverage seemed to focus on body language.
The first image above is from a montage of Roberts’ hand gestures, suggesting that the nominee (although remaining largely invisible) was able to control the content and pace of the proceedings. The second shot, depicting the Roberts team during a break, seemed to highlight personality characteristics. There is Roberts in a (perhaps schooled?) deliberative pose, a White House lawyer (reflecting the behind-the-scene politics) looking emphatic, and a White House operative (far right) emphasizing how the judge’s election was simply a matter of time.

As a program note, I had some video expertise available to me this weekend, so I thought I’d experiment with some multimedia. (I’m hoping most of you can view it.) (Next time, I’ll figure out how to prepare material that won’t resist my trademark red pen.)

There are two Quicktime clips. The first looks at the NYT montage, published last Wednesday, focusing on Roberts’ hands.

The second clip, from the nominee’s final day of testimony on Thursday, focuses on the group shot of “Team Roberts,” and a montage of the excitable Senator Schumer.

If you’re having trouble with the video, download Quicktime 7 here.

(Special thanks to Al for the videography.)

(All images by Stephen Crowley for The New York Times. image 1 and 2 (hand sequence): Washington. September 14, 2005. p. A19. image 3 & 4: Washington. September 15, 2005. p. A22.)