Judge Samuel Alito is not a movie star, a great orator or an outstanding dresser. He doesn't fit the stereotyped image of a dashing, youthful, glib leader. What he does possess is his ability to think logically.

Logic is the art of reasoning. It connotes sensible, rational thought and argument rather than ideas influenced by emotion or whim. It also means studying the relationship between certain events, situations or objects and the inevitable consequences of their interaction.

Logic is closely related to the virtue of understanding, which goes beyond surface impressions of situations or individuals to learn what is unique to them.

The Book of Wisdom teaches us, "By wisdom is a house built, but by understanding is it established." Logic and the understanding it produces is the mortar holding the bricks of that house together.

Although some people didn't like certain rulings that Alito has made, his testimony on Capitol Hill revealed an acute logical mind at work. And if we listened carefully to certain members of the Senate Hearing Committee, we would have detected this in them also.

I believe we learned many lessons in the Alito hearings that were missed because of interest groups consumed with their particular causes and because some commentators were too myopic when focusing on him.

The first lesson was that the law is forever upgrading itself, and even though certain precedents create certainty in law, more often than not law changes, and the only means for preserving its integrity are people who work at being as logical as possible in interpreting them.

We also learned that a particular ruling is often influenced by previous rulings. The past history of laws is very important in coming to a decision.

The fact that logic and the study of past history are basic to good laws gives us yet another lesson: Rulings should never be made in haste.

At the U.S. Supreme Court building there is a frieze that has the figure of a rabbit in one corner, a turtle in the other. More interesting than this are the lamps around the court, which are supported by turtles.

Why emphasize turtles? They remind us of Aesop's fable of the rabbit that challenges the turtle to a race, hastily jumps out to take the lead, decides to take a nap and loses the race to the slow, steady turtle.

The lesson is simple: Law must never be conducted hastily. It requires continuous, steady reflection.

Some people felt that the Alito hearings were boring. No doubt they were to people who don't deal with the law regularly. But if we look closer at that seemingly boring testimony, we see a mind reaching deeply into the complexity of law, carefully sorting out variables and patiently putting together conclusions based on logic, history and circumstances.

These are the bricks and mortar that not only built our country, but established it. May they continue to be our standard!

Father Eugene Hemrick is a columnist with Catholic News Service.