Wonderful posts especially informing about the legal stuff.

On the politics side, no, getting her in there is job number one the next one can be a Scalia of the left any "bar" or "hurdle" that is set now doesn't mean jack for next time.

The problem of failing to point out the lies and myth structures, the religion of the right, if you will -- that judges shouldn't be activists, that government is evil, that high taxes drag down a society and other things so called liberals buy into way too much instead of fucking attacking head on as lies, lies, lies -- well that's a long term problem. And it's not really up to the judges themselves to talk politics to America it's up to us and the political leaders. We need about 15 years of teacher America about how having judicial activists is GREAT -- my god that bill of rights doesn't stand up and defend itself you know -- so props to Wagner for getting us started.

Note how she sticks to the conservative line that judges apply law not make it here, turning the tables on him. she doesn't give her own personal thoughts -- my god, all th conservatives taught us that's irrelevant, right? (Heh, heh.) And she doesn't buy into his frame of calling her position her "interpretation" of what precedent says -- she says no sir, not any interpreting going on, that precedent is clear as ice. (So you don't get my fucking personal views, asshole.)

I am hopeful that in fact she's been plotting to get on the court for about 30 years and will in fact turn out to be a liberal lioness.

As noted previously, viva Sotomayor!

And great: gradually all the gringos are learning how to pronounce her name. They have currently got it with all syllables spilled out rapidly, which is correct, but they currently give an equal emphasis to all syllables. It should be with heavy emphasis on the very last syllable. sotomaYOR! For ultra perfection give an ever so slightly greater emphasis to the first syllable over nos. two and three (but make the last syllable about 2x or 3x more than the first).

Hasta lumbago --

I think I'm going to side with the Georgetown guy. It's sad to see the Republicans continue to dominate and direct the debate even after they've been shrunk to a filibuster-proof minority. Whether that will continue to hold or not, I don't know; but it shows just how hard it is to counter Republican ideology, even when it is drastically unpopular, when the Democratic opposition is so infantile and inept. Hearing Sotomayor parrot the positions of idiots and creeps like Coburn and Hatch just to get approved more easily, while understandable, is still pretty painful.