A nomination and an opportunity

All day, my email has been an artillery range where right-wing gunners have bombarded President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. Clearly, this artillery has been primed and in place for quite a while, just waiting to begin the barrage. The political shells are packed with the usual loaded words - liberal, activist judge, makes law from the bench etc.

At this stage, none of her critics really knows Judge Sotomayor, just as they would not know any other nominee. They make much of little, including the judge's past public statements and a few opinions they did not like. What they do know is that she was nominated by Obama and that is good enough (or bad enough) for them.

Actually, this really isn't about whether Sonia Sotomayor would make a good Supreme Court justice. It is about a political opportunity. I include one of the missiles, one from Richard Viguerie (someone whose absurdity was the subject of a recent post). Note the glee as the wolves fall to the task of devouring:

 Richard Viguerie: Sotomayor Nomination is a Major Opportunity for Conservatives to Define President Obama as a Radical Liberal

 MANASSAS, Virginia, May 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is a statement by Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, regarding President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court:

"This is an enormous opportunity for conservatives to define President Obama as a radical liberal in a way that Republicans have so far failed to do.

"This is the first opportunity in over 40 years for conservatives to have a national debate on the role of the judiciary. Conservatives always win ideological battles, either on the short run or the long run.

"The primary opposition to Sonia Sotomayor will come from conservatives at the national, state, and local levels.

"President Obama's selection of Sonia Sotomayor to replace liberal David Souter on the Supreme Court will unite all wings of the conservative movement in a major effort to educate the American people on the U.S. Constitution and the proper role of the judiciary."