CNN reports today that several Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are dissatisfied with the scheduling of confirmation hearings for Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. This includes whining that the timeframe is the “shortest” of its kind, and that the proper Republicans were not consulted in scheduling the process. First of all – boo hiss. The times they are a-changin’, and you’re not going to get to choose the icing on your cake all the time. That being said, CNN disproves the claims on record speed of confirmation hearings with a list of the timeframes for many of the most recent Court nominees. If you’re going to bandy about superlatives, make sure you’re accurate.

But more importantly (because we all know public figures exaggerate to make a point even when they know fact checking will subsequently prove them wrong) there is an essential flaw with the logic espoused here by the Senatorial-Right. The lack of efficiency in government is often maligned, not just by the public at large, but by those who clamor for fiscal conservatism. Here is the rub: Public Officials – we expect you to work, not just hobnob over cigars and scotch and bang interns. This means doing things quickly. We all go to work, sometimes work overtime, to get things done. Especially during crunch time. If you hadn’t noticed, this is crunch time in America.

Now, I’m not advocating glossing over things that are important (read: not off-hand remarks about where your character comes from). This could potentially be the reverse of what Democrats and Republicans argued about with Sarah Palin’s vetting process (too long, too short, etc.). In this case, however, confirmation hearings are a very public finale to a vetting process. Rather than whining about time frame, get to work preparing for it if you want to raise holy hell during that process.

But all of this boils down to one point: Senators (and Representatives, too) we elected you to esteemed positions to represent us in Washington, and to do what you can about the most important of issues. Stop wasting your time – and our tax dollars – at this crucial junction in history, and get to work on what will actually change the course of events.