The Hill:
Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday morning he did not see a move among colleagues to filibuster President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, but he wouldn't rule out the delaying technique.
"I don't sense a filibuster in the works. If the nominee has serious problems, those kind of things, that might happen," Sessions said on CNN's "American Morning." "But I would think that we need to all have a good hearing, take our time and do it right, and then the senators cast their vote up or down based on whether or not they think this is the kind of judge that should be on the court."
Still, Sessions made sure he touched on the Republican "Yay for psychopaths!" messaging, calling empathy a "non-legal standard." I guess that makes someone with psychopathic personality disorder -- basically a lack of empathy -- extremely logical and fairminded people. Seriously, they've got to knock that message off. It's an inane talking point.
Speaking of psychopaths, this marks the Republican party throwing their own crazies under the bus. From a Politico piece on the religious right's opposition to Sotomayor:
"The Republicans have got to take a stand on this one," said Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition and a proponent of a filibuster. "If they don't, they can kiss their chances of ever getting back into power away," he added.
Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, an anti-abortion rights activist, is urging members to block a Senate vote on Sotomayor.
"Do GOP leaders have the courage and integrity to filibuster an activist, pro-Roe[v. Wade] judge?" asked Terry, who argued that Democrats -- including then-Sen. Obama -- opened the door to such action after threatening to filibuster Justice Samuel Alito's nomination in 2005.
In addition to pressuring Republicans, Terry is urging supporters to send e-mails to Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), both of whom oppose abortion rights.
I love the threat by Robertson that not filibustering means the GOP "can kiss their chances of ever getting back into power away." Where you gonna go, Pat? The Democrats? What a transparently empty threat. And I'm sure the Republicans are shaking in their boots over it, since the evangelical vote is such a freakin' powerhouse these days.
Looks like Mark Halperin's right (go read his post at TIME), Sonia Sotomayor's going to skate.
