Lindsey Graham: "I'm Deeply Troubled" By Sotomayor Nomination

Lindsey Graham: "I'm Deeply Troubled" By Sotomayor Nomination

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that he remains "deeply troubled" by Sonia Sotomayor's ideology and record after a 30-minute closed-door meeting with the judge.

Politco reported on Graham's press conference following the meeting:

"I was very direct," Graham told reporters gathered outside his office. "I have to decide how to play this game, quite frankly. If I use the same standard that Sen. [Barack] Obama used, then I would not vote for you, quite frankly."

Graham's comments were the most critical so far during Sotomayor's dozen visits to key Senate offices over the past two days. [...]

"[Obama] used a standard, I think, that makes it nearly impossible for a person from the opposite party to vote for the nominee," said Graham.

"When I look at her record, her ideology, I'm deeply troubled," he added.

Graham had previously criticized Sotomayor for her 2001 "wise Latina" remark. On Wednesday, Graham said the remark offended him as an "every-day white guy."

The Washington Post reported on Graham's comments today:

"My criticism about her comment and the speech that she gave wasn't that I think this lady is a racist," Graham said, later continuing: "There is no evidence of that, but this statement is troubling and I did tell her this, 'If I said it, it would be over for me. No matter how well-intentioned I was and no matter how much I tried to put it in context, that would be it.' And you all know that."

He added, "being an average, every-day white guy ... that does not exactly make me feel good hearing a sitting judge say that."

"... She needs to explain herself and she needs to understand she offended some people," Graham said."

Interestingly, Sotomayor made the same speech in the 1990's, and her words were disclosed to Republican Senators as part of her 1998 Court of Appeals confirmation. There's no sign that any of them objected to it.

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