Collins: Christine Ford Believes It, But I Don't

Christine Blasey Ford has a decent memory for sexual assault but a bad memory for faces, at least according to Sen. Susan Collins. "I found Dr. Ford's testimony to be heart-wrenching, painful, compelling, and I believe that she believes what she testified to," says Collins on CNN's State of the Union about Ford's sexual-assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, per the Hill. "I don't think she was coming forth with a political motive. I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant. I do believe that she was assaulted." Collins also points to a lack of corroborating evidence, saying "each of the people that Professor Ford said was present that night have testified under oath ... that they have no memory of this happening." For more around the Sunday dial:

• An asterisk: "He's going to be on the Supreme Court with a huge taint and a big asterisk after his name. The partisanship that he showed was astounding," says Sen. Mazie Hirono of Kavanaugh on ABC's This Week, per ABC News. "The conspiracy theory that he accused us of behaving in was bizarre."
• The cultural battle: "Yesterday, we, we may have lost a political battle," says actor and #MeToo activist Alyssa Milano on NBC's Meet the Press, per NBC News. "But I do think we are winning the cultural battle."
• Impeachment: "There's only ever been one justice that's been impeached and I think talking about it at this point isn't necessarily healing us and moving us forward," says Democratic Sen. Chris Coons on Meet the Press, where he called it "premature" to discuss impeaching Kavanaugh, per NBC News.
• Still bipartisan: "Despite our big fight over this nomination there’s been an awful lot of bipartisan cooperation," says Sen. Mitch McConnell on CBS' Face the Nation, per CBS News. "So the notion that the Senate is somehow broken over this is simply inaccurate."
• But I blame them: "... We didn't attack Merrick Garland’s background and go on a search and destroy mission," says McConnell on Fox News Sunday of the notion that Republicans set the tone for Supreme Court nominations by blocking Garland, per Fox News. "I agree with Chuck Schumer that this has been a low point in the Senate. I disagree with who caused the low point."
• Good anger: "You're going to defend yourself against people deliberately trying to damage and destroy you," says Sen. Lamar Alexander on Meet the Press of Kavanaugh's anger before the Senate Judiciary Committee, per NBC News. "And I think that’s what he did, and I think the fact that he did that is the reason he’s on the court."
• The short term: "Sometimes you can have a short-term win," says outgoing Ohio Gov. John Kasich on State of the Union of Kavanaugh's victory, per the Washington Examiner. "In the long term, you have to wonder about the soul of our country."
• Identity politics: "People want to know what their identities are," says former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright about social-media-driven politics, on CNN's Fareed Zakaria, per Politico. "So, all of a sudden, there's—we're going to have great pride in identity, but if my identity hates your identity, then it’s not patriotism, it's hypernationalism and it’s very dangerous."

(More Sunday morning talk shows stories.)