sounds WAY too empathetic to be acceptable to the neanderthals.

I think it bodes well that Obama didn't shy away from this fight on account of the wingnut/GOP/Drudge/TNR smear campaign.

He could have ducked this one. He had plenty of time to choose a nominee that hadn't been the target of all that. His political advisors surely filled him in on exactly what had been said about Sotomayor, and who had said it, and what sort of fight he could expect. And he's apparently gone ahead and picked her anyway.

Good on him.

Now, this is odd. Politico calls her a "Latina single mother."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22962.html#ixzz0GcPpb5Tb&A

Given that articles have noted that she has no children and therefore sees her clerks as her children, where did the reporters get that idea? It seems like they have internalized some stereotypes about minority women.

the judge has been the target of a whisper campaign, and many leading far-right activists -- including Limbaugh and Fox News personalities -- started the offensive against her weeks ago.

I am shocked, shocked I tell you! The windbags are winding up, throwing sticks and stones from their glass houses and ivory towers. Yes, it is so much fun tearing down other human beings. Keep it up, (f)righties. You can move that 21% approval rating into the teens without even trying.

Good - I don't know know one top flight lawyer from another in terms of their opinions, etc., but sticking it in the eye of the whispering campaign has got to be a plus. Perhaps a few hidden agendas will be dragged out into the open.

The vote by this lady in '95 saved major league baseball. It allowed the World Series to be played. So, Mr George Will, tell us, one more time, why you are against this fine lady?

Sadly, a tear drops in Preston Hollow, as Shrub moans "But, I wanted Gonzo to be the first Hispanic" - Yeah, George, but this Hispanic-American is eminently qualified. There really really is a difference. And, thank you Erle Stanley Gardner, for, inadvertently, leading this excellent choice to the bench. Geez, "Perry Mason" being role model, who woulda thunk.

I'm glad we finally have a democrat with a spine running things.

The wingnuts were going to accuse any Obama nominee of being the antichrist, big deal. Go ahead and filibuster a highly qualified hispanic woman who was originally appointed by a Republican. Good luck with that.

"Since that would be true of any Obama nominee, it hardly matters."

This is not true! We republicans will only oppose controversial nominees from The Chosen One!

If he had allowed the esteemed source of judicial knowledge, The Federalist Society, to present him with a list of nominees to chose from, it would not have been controverial. Of course, he would have needed to have aquired the signoff on this nominee from moderates such as Pat Robertson.

Weirdly, our friend Erick Erickson over at RedState says "Conservatives rejoice. Of all the picks Obama could have picked, he picked the most intellectually shallow."

WOW, and she went to Princeton and Yale which according to the "brilliant" boob, Chuck Todd, is the very dictionary definition of "IVORY TOWER"! Then he proceeded to dance away from a comment he made, apparently to a colleague, that Obama was BLOWN AWAY by her during their interview (all that predicated on Todd's assessment of how Obama was looking for "himself" to appoint)...Don't you love the SCOOP that our MSM has with their BREAKING NEWS before the official announcement...now if they could just convene the Congress they could have her approved or denied even before he announces her...and Repugs will make a fight of it...DUH!!!!!! PS...don't miss the point that she is a "woman of color"...

"Childhood diabetes"? Does she have any other health conditions we need to know about? Any history of cancer in her family or heart disease?

Her father died when she was 9? What was the cause of death?

Regardless of her other merits, we need someone who can reasonably be expected to remain active and healthy into their 80s.

Minor quibble: Benjamin Cardozo was the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, given that he was of Portugese descent. Admittedly, his family had been in the US for far longer than Judge Sotomayor's, and there are, for some odd reasons, people who feel that the Portugese are not Hispanic (an odd opinion).

-Z

Regardless of her other merits,...

Look over here! Don't consider her qualifications!

But I suppose if she had a pacemaker and her job was to step in and act as president if the need should arise, it would be okay.

IOKIYAR.

Concern Troll much?

Great. Let the games begin.

The GOP's effort to derail a Hispanic woman SCOTUS candidate will happily doom them to the road they have chosen to travel. As this nation "browns" the GOP will increasingly look like what it has evolved into: An aging white,mostly male, vestige organ that contines to wither and die as it become more and more disengaged from the mainstream it once had a death grip on through fearmongering and outright lies.

What fun...

I for one hope that Judge Sotomayor is not the liberal Scalia, and with all due respect to the smart folks on the left who advocate that type of choice, I can't for the life of me understand why you think that would be a good thing. Scalia, despite his brilliance is a polarizing figure on the Court. He drives away those who might otherwise be ideologically aligned to him. The ideal choice would be a 21st century Brennan. That person would be nearly impossible to find, granted, but don't you want someone who is a first rate judicial mind, rock-ribbed liberal convictions, and the political instincts to find common ground with adversaries where possible? Look at how Brennan worked with Blackmun, who let's remember, was appointed by Nixon, and voted with Burger so often in his first year on the Court that they were nicknamed the Minnesota Twins. Blackmum doesn't become a liberal giant without Brennan's influence. That's the type of person we need on the Court now.

Minor quibble: Benjamin Cardozo was the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, given that he was of Portugese descent.

Major quibble: They do not speak Spanish in Portugal.

according to the "brilliant" boob,Chuck Todd, is the very dictionary definition of "IVORY TOWER"!********************************************

Todd Chuck? Chuck Todd? whatever. He presents a thesis that Obama wanted to appoint 'himself' to the bench? Based on what? Chuck's intimate and obvious knowledge of what is going on in the President's brain and psyche, I presume? Well, my thesis is that Chuck Todd wants to appear to be an intellect and clairvoyant to make up for his inferiority complex, teeny testicles, and inability to report faithfully based verifiable background information and the facts. How do I know his motivation? I just do, that's all! It's right there, for special people like me to see!

Good God. Mr. Toddler, please...,go away until you have something legitimate to add.

Admittedly, his family had been in the US for far longer than Judge Sotomayor's, and there are, for some odd reasons, people who feel that the Portugese are not Hispanic (an odd opinion).

Maybe because the word "hispanic" implies a Spanish-speaking culture? I don't hear people refer to Brazilians as hispanic either, I assume because they speak portugese.
I'm more annoyed with people who refer to "hispanic" as a race. There are white, black and brown hispanics, I consider it a cultural group, not a racial one.

More interesting to me than his Portuguese roots are the fact that Cardozo was the first Jewish SC justice and that he was a Democrat appointed by a Republican, Herbert Hoover.

Imagine that happening today.

(all that predicated on Todd's assessment of how Obama was looking for "himself" to appoint)...

Please insert the line I missed (above) when I was pasting the top part of my post at 10:06

Correcting myself: I forgot Louis Brandeis! D'OH!

You think I'm a Concern Troll?

I want a progressive justice who will remain on the court for as long as possible. How does that make me a "concern troll?"

Why would a Republican care about the life expectancy of a progressive nominee?

While it should not be part of the public discourse, if I were picking a nominee I would insist on seeing their health history and that of their parents and grandparents.

While it should not be part of the public discourse, if I were picking a nominee I would insist on seeing their health history and that of their parents and grandparents.

And who says they didn't? Lots of people with juvenile diabetes live to old age, and I'm sure Obama wouldn't nominate someone if he wasn't confident that they could serve at least another 20 years.
The bottom line is that unless Kennedy or Scalia retires before the end of Obama's term, the direction of the court isn't likely to change.

Minor quibble: Benjamin Cardozo was the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, given that he was of Portugese descent. Admittedly, his family had been in the US for far longer than Judge Sotomayor's, and there are, for some odd reasons, people who feel that the Portugese are not Hispanic (an odd opinion).

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has a Portuguese member, Dennis Cardoza (D-CA). Of course that may not mean much, considering that the Congressional Black Caucus has a white member.

Todd Chuck? Chuck Todd? He who was a number cruncher who did little 1 minute segments before the premature demise of Tim Russert. He has neither the presence or skill to be commenting on anything and appears to have been put in that spot by NBC who had no one on the bench to step up when tim passed.

The only relevance concerning Dennis Cardoza and Judege Sotomayor is that Cardoza is a major player as a Blue Dog and Presidents do not always get what they think they are appointing, no matter the appointee's past record.

As I listen to my wife yelling "And why do we need a sixth Catholic on the court?"

so much for diversity: 6 Catholics out of 9 slots? Really? Does any one religion need that kind of representation?

and a continuation of all 9 justices coming directly for US Courts of Appeals.

and while past performance is often not a good predictor of Supreme Court performance, the available evidence is that she is among the most moderate of those who were ever thought to be considered for this position. Not the kind of solid progressive that say a Karlan or Sullivan or Minow would have been. Nor the intellectual firepower of Dean Elena Kagen (who I believe was the youngest short-lister and who was my first choice). Nor the totally different background of Gov. Granholm.

Glad he stood up to the threat of a fight, and politically I think this has benefits in driving a wedge between Repubs and hispanics. But she would not be at the top of my list. or 2nd. or 3rd.

Just checked, and noticed that Scalia and Kennedy are in their seventies now. Doesn't mean they can't both last as long as Stevens, but probably not likely. If Obama is re-elected, his chances of really changing the direction of the court go up greatly.

Just checked, and noticed that Scalia and Kennedy are in their seventies now. Doesn't mean they can't both last as long as Stevens

Ginsburg is likely to go before Scalia and Kennedy do. We can probably count on three appointments, possibly as many as five.

so much for diversity: 6 Catholics out of 9 slots? Really? Does any one religion need that kind of representation?

You're complaining about Catholics being overrepresented (at 6 seats it will be 8:3 in terms of their presence in the US pop) on the court, and yet your first choice is Elena Kagan, which would put Jews at a 15:1 overrepresentation?

My guess is that you're not *really* all that concerned about religious diversity on the court, and that your problem with another Catholic on the court comes from a different, er, concern.

true, Kagen wouldn't do a lot for the religious diversity on the court. but it isn't like there were a lot of known athiests, agnostics, muslims, buddhists, etc. on the short or medium lists. regardless of overrepresentation ratios, naming Kagen still does not give Jews a decisive block (unlike Catholics). And Kagen has two other benefits: she comes from anywhere other than a federal Court of Appeals, and she is young (yet with an excellent resume for the job).

but yes, with 6 members of a church whose Archbishop for the canonical court declared that Obama's invitation to Notre Dame was "an insult to Catholics" and that "Notre Dame doesn't know what it means to be Catholic", and Sotomayor having only one ruling in an abortion case and siding with the R's, I am indeed concerned about choice.