Why Sotomayor is the frontrunner for the Supreme Court

Obama hasn’t even nominated a replacement for David Souter on the Supreme Court, but the Republicans aren’t wasting any time. Within hours of the Souter announcement, no less than 50 rightwing groups were working to coordinate a strategy to block Obama’s nominee. They are already launching broadside attacks at all the likely candidates. Attack, attack, attack – it’s the only song they have on the jukebox. And Mark Halperin, the Republican shill over at Time magazine, is screaming “no white men need apply”, implying that anything but a white male pick is racism and affirmative action, again before Obama even does anything.

Keep in mind that these Republicans are the same clowns who were screaming, during the Bush era, that obstruction of judicial nominees, or even asking hard questions of nominees, was practically treason. They were whining about the Senate Democrats even when the Dems let Roberts and Alito hop onto the Supreme Court despite blatantly stonewalling questions from the Judiciary Committee. Ya see, obstruction is okay -- when Republicans do it.

A number of the judges who have been proposed for nomination by Obama, to replace Souter, have at least one decision on their records, which would cause rightwing Republicans to throw hissies.

But Sonia Sotomayor was vetted by the Republicans, because Bush 41 nominated her the first time, and when the time came to promote her to the appeals court, half the Republicans voted for her. So my money’s on her.

So, Republicans – are you going to try to throw brickbats at a judge that you put on the bench in the first place? A former prosecutor, widely regarded as a centrist, who ruled that the Wall Street Journal could publish Vince Fosters’ suicide note, a source of endless fascination for you wingnuts for years? You’re going to try to paint her as some sort of socialist?

Maybe Obama should leak the names of the complete flaming liberal judges first, just to watch the Republicans screw themselves into the ceiling, launching their attacks. Then pop out with the Sotomayor choice.

Obama could always pick someone from out of left field, but Sotomayor makes the most sense.