President Obama to deliver eulogy at Ted Kennedy's funeral

A White House official says President Barack Obama will deliver a eulogy at Sen. Edward Kennedy's funeral Mass.

The funeral will take place Saturday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica – commonly known as the Mission Church – in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston. Kennedy will be buried the same day at Arlington National Cemetery near his slain brothers.

The White House official spoke with The Associated Press on Martha's Vineyard, the island resort south of Boston where the first family is vacationing. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the Kennedy family had not yet made an announcement.

Senator Kennedy to be buried at Arlington

News from a reliable source has stated that Senator Ted Kennedy will be buried in Arlington National Cemetary, near his brother, former President John F Kennedy and alongside brother Robert F Kennedy.

Picture: Author's own.

Senator Kennedy News Update

Vice-President's Remarks

Vice President Joe Biden diverged from planned remarks at an Energy Department event to talk at length -- fighting tears the whole time -- about his friend and colleague of many decades in the Senate.

"I truly, truly am distressed by his passing," Biden said haltingly. "You know, Teddy spent a lifetime working for a fair and more just America. For 36 years, I had the privilege of going to work every day and sitting next to him and being witness to history. ... He restored my sense of idealism."

"He was never defeatist," Biden said. "He never was petty. Never was petty. He was never small. And in the process of his doing, he made everybody he worked with bigger, both his adversaries, as well as his allies ... He changed the circumstances of tens of millions of Americans and in a literal sense literally, literally. he changed the circumstances ... not only the physical circumstances, he changed how they looked at themselves and how they looked at one another." Later he added, "The unique thing about Teddy was he was never about him. It was always about you. It was never about him."

(The Huffington Post)

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Senator Byrd wants health bill renamed for Kennedy

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the only senator to have served longer than the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), mourned his friend Wednesday, saying his "heart and soul weeps."

Byrd said he hoped healthcare reform legislation in the Senate would be renamed in memoriam of Kennedy.

"I had hoped and prayed that this day would never come," Byrd said in a statement. "My heart and soul weeps at the lost of my best friend in the Senate, my beloved friend, Ted Kennedy."

Byrd's wistful statement focused on the work accomplished with Kennedy during decades together in the Senate, and called on the healthcare bill before Congress to be renamed in honor of Kennedy.

"In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American," Byrd said.

Byrd, who has himself suffered infirmities keeping him from active participation in the Senate in recent months, famously wept when his younger colleague Kennedy fell ill with brain cancer last year.

Those emotions were again on display in Byrd's statement this morning.

"God bless his wife Vicki, his family, and the institution that he served so ably, which will never be the same without his voice of eloquence and reason," Byrd said. "And God bless you Ted. I love you and will miss you terribly."

(The Hill)

The President's Statement on the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy

"Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.

For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.

I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.

An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time.

And the Kennedy family has lost their patriarch, a tower of strength and support through good times and bad.

Our hearts and prayers go out to them today--to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family."

Martha's Vineyard

A view of the bay of Martha's Vineyard taken from Air Force One. Happy Vacation Obamas!

America's New Ambassador to the UK

Louis Susman has taken up his position as the US ambassador to the UK.

But President Obama's choice is not a well-known figure to most Britons. And he is not even a diplomat.

He is, though, the latest incumbent of one of the most prestigious of diplomatic postings.
Initially, the position was the Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of St James's. For a while it was Envoy Extraordinary. In more recent years, he has been the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Court of St James's.

Mr Susman follows a long line of America's top representatives in Britain. No fewer than five have gone on to become president of the United States.

For several months after President Obama took office, Britain had to make do with an American chargé d'affaires in London before the 71-year old former banker was confirmed by Senate hearings in July.

'Repay my debt'

During those hearings, Ambassador Susman spoke of his pride in being chosen for the role.
He told the Senate: "For me, this opportunity to represent the United States, the culmination of a rewarding 45-year career as a lawyer, banker, leader and philanthropist, is a chance to repay my debt to the country which made living the dream possible."

One thing to notice is that he did not talk about a long career as a diplomat. This post tends not to be filled by those who have served for years, climbing up the diplomatic ladder.

In fact, one veteran watcher of the ambassadorial circuit claims it is "remarkably common" to find important US appointments around the world going to those who have donated to, or raised money for, the party in power.

During his career, Thomas Pickering was ambassador to Russia, Israel and the United Nations, among other countries.

He is now chairman of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
He said: "If one looks at the appointees, not just of the Obama administration but the Bush administration and the Clinton one before that, the notable feature of many of these appointments is that Mr or Mrs X contributed X hundred thousand dollars to the campaign."
The linkage, he claims, smacks of "simony" - the ecclesiastical crime of paying for holy offices or positions in the hierarchy.

There is no suggestion of course in this case that the office has been bought, but Mr Susman is a well-known and prominent Democrat fundraiser.

He was National Finance Chairman of Senator John Kerry's failed campaign to become president in 2004. That campaign raised some $250m, then a record.

Not for nothing has Mr Susman been described as "the vacuum cleaner" for his ability to suck up donations.

He also helped the Obama campaign. But his defenders deny his appointment is simply a case of cronyism.

Melody Miller is a friend and a former special adviser to the senior Democrat, Senator Edward Kennedy.

"He is not somebody who is a lightweight," she says. "This man is a heavyweight in all the areas.
"He did not get to the top of the legal profession in St Louis, he did not get to the top of the banking profession in Chicago and New York without a great deal of intelligence, wisdom, know-how and ability."

Mr Susman has also worked for Republicans - he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the United States Commission on Public Diplomacy.

Another friend and colleague is the senior banker Sir Win Bischoff, soon to be the new chairman of the Lloyds Banking Group. They know each other from their time at Citigroup.

"What distinguishes Louis Susman is his internationalism," he says. "He also has an ability to get on with people, he listens very well."

And for an ambassador with little diplomatic background, Sir Win believes Mr Susman is an astute choice.

He said: "He's actually a natural diplomat, extraordinarily enough. I think the president will have chosen him for this job because of the qualities that he has, rather than because of his vacuum-cleaning!"

Speaker Pelosi: No public option, no bill. (Video)

Speaker Pelosi sets her opinion clearly. Let's hope a decision can be reached soon, and achieve the healthcare reform that America needs.

Barney Frank tells it like it is

Watch this video of Frank confronting an anti-reform protestor at a town hall meeting.

And Jon Stewart's take:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-august-19-2009/barney-frank-s-town-hall-snaps

Obama's Blackberry.

I bought a copy of this hilarious book today. If anyone is in need of a giggle I reccommend it!

Ted Kennedy to miss sister's funeral

Due to his ongoing battle with brain cancer, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) will not attend the funeral of his recently deceased sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

The AP reported that the senator's wife Vicki will attend the invitation-only Hyannis funeral mass in his place on Friday.

Hundreds of mourners gathered outside the church before the service for Shriver, who died Tuesday at the age of 88, according to the report.

Vice President Joe Biden will also be in attendance at the 10 am service.

Helicopter and Plane Crash over Hudson River

NEW YORK -- A small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter carrying Italian tourists over the Hudson River on Saturday, scattering debris in the water and forcing people on the New Jersey waterfront to scamper for cover. Authorities believe all nine people aboard the two aircraft were killed.

Another helicopter pilot on the ground at the heliport for Liberty Tours, which operated the doomed sightseeing craft, saw the plane approaching the helicopter and tried to radio an alert to the pilots, police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. The warning wasn't heard or didn't happen in time.

The collision, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg said was "not survivable," happened just after noon and was seen by thousands of people enjoying a crystal-clear summer day from the New York and New Jersey sides of the river.

Witnesses described seeing a low-flying plane smashing into the helicopter, and then wreckage scattering. One of the plane's wings was severed by the impact.

Buzz Nahas was walking along the Hoboken, N.J., waterfront when he heard the impact, then looked up to see the plane without one of its wings "fluttering" into the water.

"There was a loud pop, almost like a car backfire," he said. "The helicopter dropped like a rock."

The plane, headed for Ocean City, N.J., left Teterboro Airport in New Jersey at 11:54 a.m., the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement. It had landed at the airport 25 minutes earlier with the pilot aboard to pick up two passengers.

The plane had started its journey in Pennsylvania, an official familiar with the plane's flight path told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly.

The plane, a Piper PA-32, was registered to LCA Partnership in Fort Washington, Pa. The company's officials couldn't immediately be identified. The helicopter was a Eurocopter AS 350 owned by Liberty Tours, a sightseeing and charter company. It was struck by the plane shortly after lifting off from a heliport on Manhattan's West side.

On the Hoboken, N.J., waterfront, people scattered as pieces of debris fell from the sky. A wheel from one of the aircraft lay on Hoboken's Sinatra Drive.

"We saw the helicopter propellers fly all over," Hoboken resident Katie Tanski said.

Afterward, much of the wreckage sank quickly into the river.

The accident happened in a busy general aviation corridor over the river that is often filled with sightseeing craft on nice days.

Pilots have some freedom to pick their own route, as long as they stay under 1,000 feet and don't stray too close to Manhattan's skyscrapers. The skies over the river are often filled with pleasure craft, buzzing by for a view of the Statue of Liberty.

Steve Riethof, a volunteer at the Aviation Hall of Fame in Teterboro, said Saturday that pilots headed for the Jersey Shore from Teterboro generally fly through Manhattan.

Accidents happen every few years. New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor died when their plane hit a skyscraper while flying a popular sightseeing route in 2006.

In January, the river was the scene of a spectacular aircraft landing that resulted in no loss of life after a US Airways flight taking off from LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, slammed into a flock of birds and lost power in both engines. The plane crash-landed in the river, and all 155 people on board were pulled to safety.

The identities of the victims of Saturday's crash were not immediately released. Italian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maurizio Massari confirmed there were Italians aboard the helicopter and said the ministry was working to find out further details through diplomats and authorities in New York.

Paolo Casali, from Rome, was scheduled to take a helicopter tour with Liberty after noon on Saturday, but her 13-year-old son, Lorenzo, was too scared to go.

"I feel very, really lucky," Casali said. "I think God was in our life. Today is the beginning of a new life, to catch every moment, every minute of this life."

A person who answered the phone at a Liberty Tours office said the company would be releasing a statement. The company runs sightseeing excursions around the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan at costs ranging from $130 to about $1,000.

Two years ago, a Liberty helicopter fell 500 feet from the sky during a sightseeing trip. The pilot was credited with safely landing the chopper in the Hudson and helping evacuate her seven passengers.

In 1997, a rotor on one of its sightseeing helicopters clipped a Manhattan building, forcing an emergency landing. No one was hurt."First I saw a piece of something flying through the air. Then I saw the helicopter going down into the water," said Kelly Owen, a Florida tourist at a Manhattan park. "I thought it was my imagination."

The two aircraft went down just south of the stretch of river where a US Airways jet landed safely seven months ago. But this time, there was no miracle.

"This is not going to have a happy ending," Bloomberg said. Hours after the collision, he said he thought it fair to say "this has changed from a rescue to a recovery mission."

The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the cause of the collision.

Two bodies were recovered in the water, one floating free and one in the wreckage, and other bodies were spotted in the debris in the river, the mayor said. The crash victims included five Italian tourists and a pilot on the helicopter and the three people on the plane, including a child, Bloomberg said
.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver in critical condition

CAPE COD, Mass. — A family spokesman says Eunice Kennedy Shriver is in critical condition at a Massachusetts hospital.

Spokesman Stephen Rivers said Friday that the 88-year-old sister of President John F. Kennedy is surrounded by her family at Cape Cod Hospital. He says her husband, children and all her grandchildren are at her side.

Shriver is renowned in her own right for founding the Special Olympics.

This Week tops Meet the Press

"This Week with George Stephanopoulos" was number one on Sunday, August 2 in both total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demographic, the first time the ABC Sunday morning show beat "Meet the Press" in both categories since 1999.
"This Week" averaged 2,800,000 total viewers and 910,000 A25-54 viewers, while "Meet the Press" averaged 2,770,000 total viewres and 910,000 A25-54 viewers. CBS' "Face the Nation" came in third with 2,310,000 total viewers and 650,000 A25-54 viewers, and "Fox News Sunday" placed fourth, averaging 920,000 total viewers and 350,000 A25-54 viewers.
Stephanopoulos hosted Tim Geithner and Alan Greenspan Sunday, while David Gregory had Larry Summers on "Meet the Press."
This marks the first time Stephanopoulos, who began hosting "This Week" in 2002, has beaten "Meet the Press" in both categories. He previous topped Gregory in January in total viewers, but not the A25-54 demo, and beat Tim Russert in the A25-54 demo in August 2007, but tied in total viewers.

Sotomayor Confirmed

BREAKING: Sonia Sotomayor has been confirmed to the Supreme Court. Vote was 68 to 31.

HUFFINGTON POST:

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor Thursday as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. The vote was 68-31 for Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's first high court nominee. She becomes the 111th justice and just the third woman to serve.

Democrats praised the 55-year-old Sotomayor as a mainstream moderate. But most Republicans voted against her, saying she'd bring personal bias and a liberal agenda to the bench.

Senators took the rare step of assembling at their desks on the Senate floor for the historic occasion, rising from their seats to cast their votes.

She replaces retiring Justice David Souter, a liberal named by a Republican president, and she is not expected to alter the court's ideological split.

Still, Republicans and Democrats were deeply at odds over confirming Sotomayor, and the battle over her nomination highlighted profound philosophical disagreements that will shape future battles over the court's makeup as Obama looks to another likely vacancy – perhaps more than one_ while he's in the White House.

The GOP decried Obama's call for "empathy" in a justice, painting Sotomayor as the embodiment of an inappropriate standard that would let a judge bring her personal whims and prejudices to the bench.

Her writings and speeches "reflect a belief not just that impartiality is not possible, but that it's not even worth the effort," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader. "In Judge Sotomayor's court, groups that didn't make the cut of preferred groups often found that they ended up on the short end of the empathy standard."

Democrats, for their part, hailed the vote as a breakthrough achievement for the country, on par with enactment of civil rights laws. They warned Republicans they risked a backlash from Hispanic voters in the short term and an enduring black mark on their party in history books by opposing Sotomayor's confirmation.

"History awaits, and so does an anxious Hispanic community in this country," said Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the Senate's lone Hispanic Democrat and the head of his party's campaign arm, just minutes before the vote. "When she places her hand on the Bible and takes the oath of office, the new portrait of the justices of the Supreme Court will clearly reflect who we are as a nation, what we stand for as a fair, just and hopeful people."

The Senate chamber was heavy with history as senators cast their votes in turn.

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., 91, the longest-serving senator who has been in frail health following a long hospitalization, was brought in in a wheelchair to vote. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., suffering from brain cancer, was absent.

In the final tally, nine Republicans joined majority Democrats and the Senate's two independents to support Sotomayor's confirmation.

The Republicans said that they might disagree with some of her rulings, statements or views, but that she was well-qualified to serve on the nation's highest court.

"Judge Sotomayor's decisions, while not always the decision I would render, are not outside the legal mainstream and do not indicate an obvious desire to legislate from the bench," said GOP Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio.

Like Democrats, many of them called Sotomayor's background inspirational. The daughter of Puerto Rican parents, she was raised in a South Bronx housing project, then educated in the Ivy League before rising to the highest legal echelons.

Obama to lunch with Senate Dems on his Birthday

Washington Post:

President Obama will host the entire Senate Democratic caucus for lunch at the White House on Tuesday, in an effort to review the achievements of his first six months in office and build momentum for major initiatives whose fates are now in the hands of Congress.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the president invited the caucus to discuss "what has been accomplished in the first six-and-a-half months of the administration, and to talk about our priorities," including the slowly recovering economy and proposals to revamp the health care system and encourage the use of renewable energy.

There may even be cake for dessert, seeing as Tuesday is the president's 48th birthday.

"Chuck E. Cheese was booked," Gibbs joked during the White House press briefing on Monday. But those fearing that the health-care debate will overshadow Obama's chance at celebration should not worry. The president got an early start on the festivities over the weekend at Camp David.

The meeting comes as Senate Democrats are growing increasingly weary of bipartisan health care reform negotiations being run by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.). Sen. Charles Schumer on Monday said if the three Republicans and three Democrats on that committee who are negotiating can't reach an agreement by mid-September, Democrats are likely to end their attempts at getting broad GOP support for a bill.

And some Democrats have grumbled the president is not doing enough to back a government-run health insurance program, which some liberals view as an important step in any reform effort. Obama has said he backs such a public plan, but has not defined exactly what it should look like.

Obama administration officials are also likely to press the Senate to approve additional money for the "Cash for Clunkers" program. The House approved $2 billion to extend the program last week, but the Senate has not yet said what it will do, despite the program's popularity with auto dealers and some car buyers.

"The president will use it as an opportunity, as I am about to, to talk about the benefits of what that program has done," Gibbs said, adding: "It's good for dealers and auto manufacturers. You've seen Ford talk about their sales being up as a result of this program. It's good for our energy security and our environment."

Voices of Power: Speaker Pelosi on the healthcare industry

Really interesting interview with Speaker Pelosi, by Washington Post reporter Lois Romano.

Lincoln Penny turns 100

Time.com:

Aug. 2, 2009, marks the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny, the longest-running U.S. coin still in circulation. The U.S. Mint had been producing one-cent coins since its founding in 1792, but the 1909 penny (which replaced the Indian-head coin) was the first coin on which a President's likeness appeared. Teddy Roosevelt commissioned the coin to celebrate the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. While most people applauded the new design, former Confederate soldiers were upset at the prospect of carrying the image of Lincoln in their pockets. Today, on the occasion of Lincoln's 200th birthday, the U.S. Mint has produced four special-edition pennies with reverse-side designs that depict different periods in the famous President's life. Three of the pennies have already been released; the final design will debut on Aug. 13.

Michelle Obama makes Chicago the 'Milan of the Midwest'

The Huffington Post:

CHICAGO — In Michelle Obama's hometown, working women hustle back and forth from home to the office in stylish shoes they can walk fast and far in. They wear chic but commonsense coats that keep them warm in the winters – and those famous sleeveless tops favored by the first lady in the summer.

It's that Midwestern pragmatism with a cosmopolitan edge, personified by Mrs. Obama, that is shining a runway spotlight on Chicago's fashion scene, say style watchers, retail experts and fashion designers.

"It shows you can fashionably be from Chicago," fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger said this month at a Chicago event where he was introduced as mentor for emerging young designers from the city. "You don't have to be from New York, Paris or Milan."

Earlier this year, The Washington Post dubbed Chicago's fashion industry, home to Obama stylist and tony boutique owner Ikram Goldman and Maria Pinto, a favorite designer of the first lady, "The Milan of the Midwest."

"Her (Obama's) fashion instincts and how she puts herself together are a direct reflection on fashion in Chicago," said Terry Lundgren, the chairman, president and chief executive of the national department store chain Macy's Inc.

Obama's style is pure Chicago: She favors comfortable but hardworking off-the-rack separates that reflect the city's down-to-earth roots and livable style.
"She dresses like an urban working woman as opposed to dressing like a first lady," InStyle fashion director Hal Rubenstein said. "Chicago isn't showing off. Chicago is going through the day. She comes out there well-dressed but accessible."

Her everywoman appeal is clear – note the spikes in sales of the Obama family's J.Crew outfits, for example – but Mrs. Obama is also drawing attention to new, under-the-radar talent. She's already been named a fashion icon by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Obama largely puts her confidence in Chicago's designers to guide her White House style, Rubenstein said. Goldman's boutique ikram in the city's Gold Coast district is a favorite of the first lady.
"Her hotline is not going through New York," Rubenstein said. "Her hotline goes through a place where she feels comfortable. She trusts this voice from her hometown. It's not about, 'I have to get a Washington D.C. coordinator to find out what to wear to a state dinner.'"

And the source of Obama's fashion inspiration is enjoying a newfound respect for its designers and boutiques. The style-conscious sets in California, New York and Europe now pay attention to Chicago, said Barbara Glass, a Chicago fashion commentator and image consultant.

The city had been viewed as having conservative taste. Its previous run as a fashion capital came and went in the early 20th century when it was home to many menswear manufacturers.
At one time, "people weren't necessarily impressed if it was a Chicago designer," Glass observed. "It didn't have a good ring to it. She's changed that."

Now, shoppers are seeking out the designers behind the first lady's signature style.
"They'll ask me, 'Is this something Michelle Obama would wear?'" said Melissa Serpico Kamhout, 32, describing the clientele at her boutique, Serpico, in the Wicker Park neighborhood. A particular pale blush-colored dress caught a lot of customer eyes, she said.
"A lot of people have mentioned they think it would be a beautiful color for her," Kamhout said. "You can tell how influential she is. It's on their minds what designers she wears."

Although a major one, Obama is just a single factor in the growth of Chicago's fashion scene, said Beth Wilson, Chicago correspondent for Women's Wear Daily.
In 2006, Mayor Richard Daley convened the Mayor's Fashion Council to put support behind the city's designers. Two years later, the city partnered with Macy's to form the Chicago Fashion Incubator to give young designers space and training for their work.
"That started creating momentum and awareness," Wilson said.

Both Chicago and Obama set fashion standards for themselves that are acceptable to most of the world, Glass added.
"The Midwest is all about no nonsense," she said. "She maintains that philosophy. We are not about glitz. We are not fluff, but we do enjoy looking glamorous and pretty."

Sotomayor confimed by Senate Judiciary Committee

Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday voted to approve Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice over nearly solid Republican opposition, paving the way for a historic confirmation vote.

The panel voted 13-6 in favor of Sotomayor, with just one Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, joining Democrats to support her. The nearly party-line tally masked deeper political divisions within GOP ranks about confirming President Barack Obama's first high court nominee.

"I'm deciding to vote for a woman I would not have chosen," Graham said. Obama's choice to nominate the first-ever Latina to the highest court is "a big deal," he added, declaring that, "America has changed for the better with her selection."

The solid Republican vote against Sotomayor on the Judiciary panel reflected the choice many GOP conservatives have made to side with their core supporters and oppose a judge they charge will bring liberal bias and racial and gender prejudices to her decisions. Others in the party, however, are concerned that doing so could hurt their efforts to broaden their base, and particularly alienate Hispanic voters, a fast-growing segment of the electorate.

Democrats, for their part, are lining up solidly in favor of the 55-year-old federal appeals court judge, the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who was raised in a South Bronx housing project and educated in the Ivy League.

"There's not one example – let alone a pattern – of her ruling based on bias or prejudice or sympathy," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee chairman. "She has administered justice without favoring one group of persons over another."

The senior Republican, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, countered that Sotomayor's speeches and a few of her rulings show she would let her opinions interfere in decisions.

"In speech after speech, year after year, Judge Sotomayor set forth a fully formed, I believe, judicial philosophy that conflicts with the great American tradition of blind justice and fidelity to the law as written," Sessions said.

Republicans pointed with particular concern to Sotomayor's record on gun and property rights, as well as a much-discussed rejection by her appeals court panel of the reverse discrimination claims of white firefighters denied promotions.

The National Rifle Association is opposing Sotomayor and took the extraordinary step last week of warning senators that it would include their votes on her confirmation in its annual candidate ratings, meaning a "yes" vote would hurt their standing.

"Some of her decisions demonstrated the kind of results-oriented decision-making, one that suggests perhaps a liberal judicial activism that has too often steered the court in the wrong direction over the last years," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

And every GOP senator alluded critically to the now-infamous remark Sotomayor made in 2001 that she hoped a "wise Latina woman" would often reach better conclusions than a white male without similar experiences.

Sotomayor dismissed the comments during her confirmation hearings as a rhetorical flourish gone awry, a defense that rang hollow with many of her critics.

"I regret that I cannot vote for her ... not she's a Latina woman (or) because she said all those things, (but) because she wouldn't defend what she said, and stand up and say, 'I really believe this, but I can still be a great judge anyway, because I will never let that interfere with my judging,' " said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.

Michelle Obama brings movie night to the White House

July 21st: Michelle Obama staged a movie night last night at the White House.

The First Lady invited a few friends, staffers and stars, to the private screening room for Julie & Julia, the upcoming biopic of Julia Child and Julie Powell, the blogger who cooked every recipe in Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

She invited Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci, plus the film’s writer-director Nora Ephron to watch with her.