13 seconds ago 2009-12-14T17:05:03-08:00
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says he wasn't aware of President Barack Obama watching any part of today's hearing for the woman he nominated to the Supreme Court.
Asked for an assessment, Gibbs would say only this: "I think much of what we've said in the past and that is that Judge Sotomayor is a judge who has had extensive experience following the rule of law." The presidential spokesman also noted that she has support from Democrats, Republicans and outside observers like the American Bar Association.
Pressed to react to how Republicans are portraying her, Gibbs said: "They're going to do their duty in these hearings. We believe they'll be fair and that people will have the ability to see the very same things, if they look at the record that the president saw in Judge Sotomayor, somebody who has a background as a prosecutor and as a judge, somebody who has been praised by Democrats and Republicans, that follows the law when making judgments."
So what was on the president's schedule instead? Naming Dr. Regina Benjamin as his choice for surgeon general, meeting wtih labor leaders and welcoming Major League Soccer Champions the Columbus Crew to the White House -- among other things. Later in the day he had a meeting with Jewish leaders, an appearance at an urban policy roundtable and a meeting with top Democrats on health care.
-Darlene Superville, AP reporter, White House
