Supreme Excitement is About to Begin

It looks like President Obama is about to release the name of his first Supreme Court nominee.

President Obama told senators at a White House meeting yesterday that he would review names of potential Supreme Court nominees over the weekend, leading participants to believe an announcement could come within days, according to senior Senate aides who were briefed on the gathering.

The group included Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and the committee's senior Republican, Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.). White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the meeting lasted about 40 minutes.

Gibbs told reporters afterward that Obama reiterated to the group that he "would choose a nominee who respects the Constitution and judicial precedent and also has the good judgment and common sense to reach fair decisions." Obama urged senators to act quickly on the nomination to ensure that the new justice is confirmed before the court's new term begins in October, "with time to prepare beforehand."

Senate aides said Reid told Obama that the goal was a confirmation vote before the Senate departs on its summer recess. The official adjournment date is Aug. 7.

No specific names were discussed, aides said, although Reid and Leahy noted their preference for a justice "with real-life experience."

Who do you think he should select? What will the person selected tell us about the President?

His approval rating is good, so is this the time for President Obama to roll the dice and ask for precisely the nominee he knows his liberal supporters want? Or, will he cave to the Republicans and select someone easy to confirm?

What do you think?