Obama Picks Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, Keeps Quiet on the North Korea Nuclear Test

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Reacting to Sotomayor: Los Liberals

President Obama announced today that Sonia Sotomayor will be his pick to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter when Souter steps down from the court. Sotomayor's long been viewed as a likely pick by the Obama administration—but that doesn't mean the blogosphere isn't up in arms. (Spoiler alert: it is.) As is our tradition, let's look at the debate from both sides of the political spectrum. First up: the liberals. Writes Dan Amira in his own roundup of reactions to the news: "Not only do Republicans have almost no chance of blocking her confirmation, but even simply giving it the old college try might be hazardous this time around because of Sotomayor's ethnicity and gender. Well played, Obama, well played." Liberal Bonnie Erbe concurs, writing that conservative attacks on Sotomayor will only alienate Hispanic voters from the GOP. Josh Marshall finds interest in the fallowing fact: "If Sotomayor is confirmed, the Court would have six Roman Catholics, two Jews and one Protestant." Michael Scherer explains the three ways conservatives will try to sink the nomination: by attacking Sotomayor's views on "policy making from the bench, affirmative action, and second amendment rights." Greg Sargent is all over this story. And Amy Sullivan thinks Obama's choice stopped the almost-inevitable culture wars dead in their tracks: "Cultural conservatives who were gearing up to use Obama's first Supreme Court nomination as a fundraising opportunity will find Sonia Sotomayor a difficult sell."

The Conservative Take on Sotomayor

"What he really wants to do is appoint himself," writes an unhappy Jonah Goldberg, "or at least the best approximation of himself he can find that politics will allow." David Frum has a number of posts on Sotomayor. He sees an upside in her obnoxiousness here. Here Frum lays out the motivation behind Obama's pick: "What Obama did not do: pick the most learned or intelligent or wisest lawyer available to him... What he did do: pick the justice he deemed most likely to secure him a demographic constituency in 2008." Damon W. Root rounds up libertarian reactions to Obama's nominee here. Highlight: "By nominating Sonia Sotomayor, Barack Obama has made it clear he prefers an activist for his personal causes over a rational interpreter of law." Conservative Peter Kirsanow sees identity politics on full display and doesn't like it one bit: "The nomination of Judge Sotomayor demonstrates that identity politics not only remains alive and well, but may be accompanied by an unabashedly racialist interpretive doctrine."

Oh Hell No, NoKo

Here's the other news drawing strong reactions throughout the blogosphere: "North Korea launched tests Tuesday of two short-range missiles, a day after its firing a nuclear bomb underground in a saber-rattling test of the Obama administration." Eric Anderson thinks enough is enough. Conservative Jennifer Rubin is very apprehensive about the implications this will have on other countries' nuclear ambitions: "It is folly to think that China, Russia, Syria, Iran, and other nations aren't paying very careful attention." So is Mark Impomeni. Joe Klein thinks that apprehensive reactions are much ado about nothing: "So let's not kid ourselves: the military option is off the table, unless North Korea starts firing those missiles at someone." Philip Zelikow has a two-track plan to deal with North Korea, and it sounds a lot like the carrot and the stick. And Stuart Whatley thinks the real problem is China, North Korea's enabling parent.

... Meanwhile ...

Der Spiegel uncovers a report that Hezbollah, not Syria, killed Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri... Trojan squeezes out the competition... Venezuela and Bolivia allegedly send uranium to Iran... And for the first time, more Americans support than oppose gay marriage.

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