20 seconds ago 2009-11-10T11:47:02-08:00
It's called pre-emption.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, is throwing some softballs at Judge Sotomayor. But he's also trying to defuse some of the GOP's main weapons against her: the Ricci case and the "wise Latina"
comment. By Leahy asking the question, Sotomayor gets to define the issue before the Republicans do. By the time GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama gets to ask his first question, Sotomayor will already have given her side of the story and he'll be playing catch-up.
That's why it's always good to go first, and Leahy is taking advantage of his position of chairman to let Sotomayor paint the picture she wants America to see -- before Republicans have a chance to do their own shaping.
-Jesse J. Holland, AP reporter, Supreme Court
