No surprise, we’ve been expecting this:

President Obama announced on Tuesday that he will nominate the federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, choosing a daughter of Puerto Rican parents raised in a Bronx public housing project to become the nation’s first Hispanic justice.

If you recall, back when Souter announced his retirement I said the following:

One thing’s for sure, you will see nothing but ultra-left nominees from Obama. He’ll nominate whoever he pleases, and that’ll be just fine by those who were demanding that Bush seek the “advice” of the Senate.

And you want to know the kicker? Every damn nominee will be pushed by the media as some kind of centrist, despite having a far-left background. Remember, when John Roberts and Samuel Alito were nominated, we were treated to endless articles about how far right they were. When Clinton nominated Ginsburg, we were treated to endless articles and television pieces on how “moderate” she was. You better believe that, once Obama makes his choice known, it’ll be the same dog and pony show all over again by the liberal media.

I — and a lot of my fellow conservatives in the blogosphere — had this pegged, as it has already started. The new twist is, however, that with this nominee the libs will try and say we don’t want her on the Court because a) she’s a woman, b) she’s hispanic, or c) all of the above. In other words, the same old dog and pony show that I mentioned.

We don’t care if she’s a woman and we certainly don’t care what her ethnicity is. If you recall, it was a Republican President (Reagan) who appointed the first female (Sandra Day O’Conner) to the bench, and it was another Republican who appointed the second black (Clarence Thomas) to the Court (Bush 41). So that doesn’t matter, and it’s just smoke and mirrors by the left to get an activist, ultra-left liberal on the Supreme Court.

What we care about is someone who recognizes that their job is to interpret the law, not make it. To explain the Constitution, not amend it. This woman is not of that mindset. She views it as her job — indeed, as her duty — to legislate from the bench and twist the Constitution to mean whatever liberals think it means at any given moment.

To be sure, just about anyone Obama nominates will be hard left. And there’s not a whole lot Republicans can do about it, except filibuster (and that’s kind of pointless, as they don’t really have the numbers to do it, unless some Dems defect). If they do, the press will eat them alive, because the press made it a central issue when Democrats were blocking Bush 43’s nominees. All talk of the “nuclear option” was considered as the worst thing Senate Republicans could possibly do, but are there any takers that the Democrats will not hesitate to trot out their version of said option? Oh, yeah…you can just about count on them doing it if the word “filibuster” is even mentioned by a Republican. And, if/when they do, any takers that the press will report it as necessary and proper to foil those nasty, evil Republicans? Yeah, you can count on that, too. Because mark my words, that’s what will happen if Republicans try and block the vote on this woman.

Does that mean we should just roll over? Of course not. Republicans in the Senate should take their case to the American people and put the pressure on the Dems to reject this nominee. But keep in mind, there are a more than a few “moderate” Republicans in the Senate (i.e., RINOs) whose main purpose is to get along with the Democrats and get good press, so they aren’t likely to go along with it, lest they look bad.

In the end, it won’t matter if she’s confirmed or not, as Obama will simply keep offering up liberal nominees until the Senate just gets tired of it and gives in. It won’t change the current structure of the Court to have a liberal take Souter’s place, but with Ginsburg’s health being a concern and age becoming more and more a factor for some of the other Justices, this more than likely won’t be the only nominee by Obama during his four years in office. Any further new appointees put on the bench by Obama will come down solidly on the liberal side of every issue, and that would change the composition of the Court from somewhat balanced to considerably far-left.

Update: And here we go. She’s a “moderate”, according to the Washington Post. Puh-lease.

Others commenting:

Don Surber
The Other McCain
Hot Air
American Power
Hugh Hewitt
Power Line
Outside The Beltway
Pajamas Media
Right Wing News
Sister Toldjah
Wizbang
Michelle Malkin
Ace of Spades
Private Pigg