Graham To Sotomayor: Do You Have A Temperament Problem? (VIDEO)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), dove head-first into the personal when it was his turn to pepper Judge Sonia Sotomayor with questions, reading from anonymous listings in the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary.

"When you look at the evaluation of the judges on the second circuit you stand out like a sore thumb in terms of your temperament," said the South Carolina Republican, who went on to call Sotomayor a "bully."

The Obama Supreme Court pick seemed generally rattled by the line of questioning.

"I do ask tough questions at oral argument," she responded, before Graham cut her off. "Are you the only one who asks questions at oral argument?" he asked.

"No," Sotomayor replied. "Not at all."

Finally Graham, who repeated that he liked Sotomayor personally and could end up voting for her confirmation, got even blunter. "Do you think you have a temperament problem?" he asked.

"No sir," Sotomayor replied. "I can only talk about what I know about the relationship with the judges of my court and the lawyers who appear regularly before our circuit. And I believe my reputation is such that I ask the tough question but I do it evenly to both sides."

As Ian Millhiser, a Legal Research Analyst with the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress Action Fund, points out, Graham didn't publicly object to two other judges with reputations for being a bit brash: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia.

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Comments

[TasinSC]

"The Obama Supreme Court pick seemed generally rattled by the line of questioning."

Who wouldn't, when the questions verge on the absurd. I guarantee that's the most ridiculous question she's had to answer in years.

[TasinSC]

Senator Graham, do you have an I-can't-fi­gure-out-w­hy-we-lost­-the-Latin­o-and-wome­n's-vote problem?

[cariintexas]

Lindsay Graham worried about temperment is laughable and silly. I thought he knew John mccain.

[bluerednot]

Senator Graham, I have read reports from anonymous sources suggesting that you have a serious problem with...( fill in the blank) .... Now this could present a real concern for the people of America, and it causes us to have to ask "Do you have a ... (fill in the blank) ... problem?"

[tom90069]

'she' can be a bit of a bully. outbursts, treats people badly.... hmmm pot meet kettle and i do mean 'she' lindsay.

[dwedge]

Wise Latina woman vs st*pid white man.

[atcrossroads]

Yes, Senator, men are 'assertive' but women are 'angry'.

[bluemoonmuse]

That's why we call them "Rethugs". They're a bunch of bullies.

[minty68]

Sure, she has Latin blood, she must have a flaming tempermant. This from the guy who is BFFs with John McCain!

[DickClark]

Graham's swarmy smile says it all.........so obvious.

[HisPetGoat]

Perhaps she is just short tempered with BS. Could that be?

[HisPetGoat]

Lindsey looks sooooo tiny!

[levee]

Lindsay Graham was so obviously drunk.

[Solja]

That line of questioning about her "temperament" should be fairly obvious to people that he means it like the old stereotype of "angry black women". Graham thinks that all minority women are "angry" or have attitude problems. That is what I take from this whole line of questioning.

[souroil]

What a complaining and whining un-intellectual man he is. He has turned my skin for years having to listen to his washy washy political mumbo jumbo which never seems coherent. This over inflated ego loves to hear himself talk

He will not even be a footnote in US history. I have seen him rant and rave on TV news shows for years. He is so self righteousness and why would he be? He is always mad about something and with wilder opinions which always tend to slant towards the right wing base.

I find it shocking that he would even suggest this lady is anything other than mellow. She is known for being even keeled. He knows that she has good temperament so even to suggest anything else is not of truth, just a waste of our tax dollars for every minute he had his yapper yapping.

Lindasy was using the old tired lawyer trick...say something twisted to the adversaries to try and rattle them and make them mad. This technique is not scholarly, ethical or of good temperament. Its mudslinging and Lindsay is not being respectful to this lady.

Have you noticed over the last few months how tired and driven Lindsay looks. Maybe he not sleeping so well. His eyes are tired and bulging and he seems to be incoherent at times. The new judge very definitely will be a footnote in history. Lindsay, you will not be a footnote.

[Solja]

I have seen Graham in hearings and he is pretty much as he is shown here. I think he tries to tone his arrogance down some, and he IS very, very arrogant, so he doesn't come off like the jackazz he really is. But something about him over the past few months, in watching him in the hearings on Afghanistan & Iraq, I find him sometimes genuinely asking tough questions to get to the facts. I don't like his demeanor sometimes, but as he tries to explain things, he loses some of that arrogant glow he carries around with him. I think sometimes he forgets that he is supposed to tow the line of his party, which is actually good. Just like he says he "might just vote for you" to Sotomayor, and I think he probably means it.