Daniel Stone
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Jul 28, 2009 03:38 PM
If the road to becoming a Supreme Court justice is paved with obstacles, then Sonia Sotomayor just jumped over the penultimate one. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted this morning to approve Sotomayor's nomination, which puts the only thing now standing between her and the high bench is a full vote in the senate. Predictable, yes, especially after weeks of speculation that she'd have no problem being seated. But what was surprising was Sen. Lindsey Graham, who delivered a thoughtful statement before the vote about Sotomayor's qualifications and the significance of her nomination as a Latino woman. This is the same Lindsey Graham, forget not, who berated the judge and condescended her by reading anonymous reviews of her fierce questioning style on the bench. "Do you have a temperament problem?" he asked flatly at one point, opening himself to heavy criticism as he became the news of the day, rather than Sotomayor.
Today, though, he was singing a different tune. He said they disagree, and it's fine that they do, because that's the beauty of the American legal system. And, he added, he'd be casting a vote for her. Then, wrapping up his speech, he carefully stroked the same ego he had dented just two weeks ago. "Her life story...is something that every American should be proud of, and if her selection to the Supreme Court
will inspire young women, particularly Latino women, to seek a career
in the law, then that is a good thing — and I hope it will."
When we heard that President Obama would host Skip Gates and his arresting officer at the White House this week, we chalked it up to just Obama being Obama. But now, just days before, another antagonistic pair in town is canoodling? Now that's a downright trend. We hereby proclaim this "Make Amends Week" in Washington.
