Many people , including Alan Dershowitz, have heavily criticized Rachel Mitchell for failing to aggressively cross-examine Dr. Ford at the Senate hearing.  As a former litigator, I believed during the hearing, and still maintain, that she took the right approach.  That said, I do not know what she was tasked with: if she was told to do what she did or was asked to rip Dr. Ford a new one (I highly doubt that); if the senators were just playing the entire thing by ear; or if they planned to have her question Kavanaugh and then yield to committee members. I admit, at times, like most of you, I just wanted her to go for the jugular, but Mitchell's cooler head wisely prevailed. What she did and did beautifully despite the ridiculousness of the five-minute ping-ponging was (1) lay a foundation; (2) elicit admissions from Dr. Ford; (3) tack back and forth in time and subject matter; and (4) display a calm demeanor, which was nothing less than I would expect from...(Read Full Article)