After telling us for months and months that al-Qaeda captives regularly claim torture when it hasn't taken place, right-wingers have apparently decided to try this technique themselves:

ALITO WIFE LEAVES HEARING IN TEARS AFTER DEM ATTACK

Judge Samuel A. Alito’s wife Martha left the confirmation hearing room in tears this evening, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) apologized to the Judge's family for the behavior of his fellow committee members during the course of the last three days.

Sen. Graham said: "Judge Alito, I am sorry that you've had to go through this. I am sorry that your family has had to sit here and listen to this."

...One senior Republican in the hearing room said of the situation: "After three full days of attacks against her husband's character, Mrs. Alito had enough. Democrat behavior during this hearing has not only been wrong, it's been embarrassing. Ted Kennedy is nothing but a bully."

(Actually, as I explained last June, the manual for al-Qaeda operatives tells them to expect real torture if they're captured -- it doesn't tell them to fake it. Apparently this is not true of the manual for Republican Party operatives.)

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UPDATE, THURSDAY MORNING: John Cole at Balloon Juice, no fan of the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, says Drudge is completely distorting the incident. Yes, John -- Drudge and the operatives who spoon-fed the "meanie Democrats" narrative to him.

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UPDATE: Karl Rove must have wet himself with glee when he saw the front page of this morning's USA Today. Ditto Newsday.