5 things to watch today

Keep your eyes peeled for this on the second day of the Sotomayor confirmation hearing:

5. EMPATHY: President Obama says he wants a judge who connects the law with lives of real Americans. He calls that empathy. Republicans have made empathy a dirty word, code for liberals legislating from the bench.

4. PROTESTERS: We heard them on opening day. We'll likely hear from them today. On Monday, one protester shouted "Abortion is murder!" before being hauled out of the hearing room. The funny thing is that Sotomayor has not ruled in any cases that squarely confronted the issue of abortion. As an appeals court judge she dismissed a challenge to the so-called global gag rule, deciding against an abortion rights group. But in her opinion she used the phrases "anti-abortion" and "pro-choice," typically used by the abortion rights side.

3. THE GOP TARGET: Is it Sotomayor? You'd think so. She's the one seeking confirmation to the Supreme Court. But more often than not, Obama has been the target of GOP jibes. Watch for the same strategy today as Republican senators balance their desire to challenge Sotomayor's nomination against their fear of angering Hispanic voters.

2. FAMILY REACTION: Few things humanize a nominee more than his or her family, especially if a loved one shows emotion. In January 2006, Samuel Alito's wife, Martha Ann, bolted the hearing room in tears after Republicans expressed their disapproval of how Democrats were questioning her husband. Democrats had to restrain their attacks and Alito, nominated by President George W. Bush, now is on the Supreme Court.

1. UNSCRIPTED MOMENTS: Senators stuck close to their political scripts on opening day. Here's hoping for some authentic give-and-take today.

-Ron Fournier, AP Washington bureau chief