Why Sotomayor's a Lock

The way to really win a fight is to be in too strong a position for it to even start, and President Obama is showing some of that kind of savvy with his Supreme Court pick, writes Mark Halperin in Time. Nominating Sonia Sotomayor maneuvers Republicans into a position where they can’t oppose this Bronx-raised Latina woman without sending all the signals their increasingly rich-white-male party is trying to avoid.

Sure, some conservatives will try to play off Sotomayor to rev up their base and raise money. But, writes Halperin, “Since she is certain to be confirmed, there are plenty of smart conservatives who will, by mid-day Tuesday, have done the political cost-benefit analysis.” And that analysis leads to one conclusion: the GOP can’t get any traction opposing her.
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