GOP Struggling for Traction on Kagan as Hearings Begin

'So little oxygen' for opposition, so many distractions

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 28, 2010 7:50 AM CDT

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GOP Struggling for Traction on Kagan as Hearings Begin — "I think her nomination has real problems that need to be examined," Jeff Sessions said yesterday. She "has a very thin record legally. She just is not the kind of nominee you would normally expect." (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File)

Elena Kagan is in for something of a cakewalk in confirmation hearings that begin today. Republicans still haven’t been able to dig up any real dirt on Obama’s second Supreme Court nominee, the Washington Post reports. Their latest straw grasp: Robert Bork coming out of the woodwork to complain that she once praised Aharon Barak, an Israeli Supreme Court president with a reputation as an activist judge. “There’s been so little oxygen for this,” lamented one senior GOP aide.

Sen. Jeff Sessions noted that the nation has been distracted because there were “so many things happening," like the Gulf spill and Gen. McChrystal's dismissal. Sessions is planning to lead the charge against Kagan, arguing that she lacks judicial experience. But Harry Reid says he expects a smooth confirmation. Kagan’s even taken a savvy step to avoid a potential filibuster—she’s asked Scott Brown to introduce her today. (More Elena Kagan stories.)

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