Obama: “I understand that”

By Tom Quiner

Yes, the president actually said that he understands why Republicans don’t want to confirm a new Supreme Court Justice this year.

His empathy was not his knee-jerk reaction. His knee-jerk reaction, of course, was to demonize Republicans:

“I am amused when I hear people who claim to be strict interpreters of the Constitution suddenly reading into it a whole series of provisions that are not there.”

Amusement suggests he is so much above the fray.

But then a reporter actually followed up with a tough question:

“How do you respond to Republican criticism that your position is undercut by the fact that you and other members of your administration who were in the Senate at the time tried to filibuster Judge [Samuel] Alito in 2006?”

In other words, then Senator Obama participated in blocking a president’s nomination, the very thing he doesn’t want to happen now.

Confronted with his own hypocrisy, he stumbled and softened his rhetoric:

“You know the a, look, I think what’s fair to say is that how judicial nominations have evolved over time is not historically the fault of any single party.

Get it in writing! Something is not entirely the fault of the Republicans! He continued:

“This has become just one more extension of politics. And there are times where folks are in the Senate, and they’re thinking as I just described primarily about, ‘Is this gonna cause me problems in a primary? Is gonna cause me problems with supporters of mine?’ So people take strategic positions, and I understand that.”

Why is it okay for Chuck Schumer and Barack Obama and their liberal ilk to ‘Bork’ Republican nominees while Republicans give Democratic Party Supreme Court nominees a fair hearing?

Caught off guard, Mr. Obama actually admitted it’s all politics.