My takeaway from the conversation with Martha-Ann Alito is that Alito is counting the days until a Republican president is in the Oval Office, so Alito can retire and be replaced by a younger version of himself. Hence his wife’s comment about “when {we} are free of this nonsense.” And is the “nonsense” this whole idea of judicial impartiality?? Taken in the whole context of these flag stories, apparently Alito doesn’t believe in being neutral, impartial, or nonpartisan, whatever you want to call it. He seems to believe that’s not required of him.