That's because the Republicans (including Gingrich) were successful in humiliating her in public before millions of people, which was really what the Republican version of the senate confirmation hearing was all about. Examine many of the comments and questions that were directed to her and see if you come away with any other conclusion.

There's a great article in the July 17th issue of "Nation" entitled "Sotomayor and the Politics of Public Humiliation," which points this GOP strategy out in rather plain language. Sotomayor was repeatedly interrupted, subjected to hostile and erroneous mischaracterizations of her and her record, accused of being a racist, and to add injury to insult, they intentionally mispronounced her name.

Apparently they were trying to push her over the edge and make her to go on the offensive so they could say she was also an over-emotional hot-bloodied radical Hispanic female judge. It didn't work. She did not have a "complete meltdown" as hoped for by the drawling simpering Lindsey Graham and the other race-baiting women haters whose job it was to humiliate and shame someone they see as a liberal female judge.

To quote the Nation article, "Women, and most especially black and brown women, have to prove their fitness for public life by demonstrating the ability to endure harsh brutality without openly fighting back." It's the age old art of public degradation.

From the Nation 7-17-09: "The Republican attacks on Sotomayor were not meant to derail her nomination. They were meant to degrade and humiliate as a warning if you attempt to assert your equality within a system still dominated by white male racial privilege you may get a place at the table, but not without public punishment."

Compare Sotomayor's calm, thoughtful, and intelligent reaction to her grand GOP inquisitors to how Clarence Thomas responded to his accusers. What was it Thomas cried? "A high-tech lynching.." The poor mistreated black man done in by "...left wing zealots draped in flowing sanctimony..."

And didn't he once try and compare his cross examination by Joe Biden as being the equivalent of the Klu Klux Klan's assassination of Medger Evers? Then years later there he was again hawking his book on "60 Minutes" and whining some more about his shameful Affirmative Action Law Degree he got from all those sympathetic whities up at Yale Law School. I thought Sotomayor showed character and an admirable amount of wisdom and patience under pressure by not pulling a Clarence Thomas.

The Republicans think they're good at humiliating people--but they're about as good at is as they are at governing. Lindsey Graham does simper, although you're the first person I've heard call him on it.

As far as Clarence Thomas is concerned, if Scalia dropped dead tomorrow, Thomas wouldn't know how to vote.

The entire hearing seemed to be about Republicans flopping crazily like fish out of water, doing whatever they could to make the proceedings slimier and less statesmanlike.

Interestingly, there were no hearings on Supreme Court nominees before television. The entire hearing is a television event, and is always used by both sides to posture and preen and make speeches that they claim are quesions. Those kind of partisan hearings always bring out the worst in everyone, not that their worst was ever concealed.

I believe that Sotomayor made a slight mistake when questioned. She should have stated the following before that committee's republican senators:

"Sirs, my decision on Ricci, followed the current law, as written ...and you have repeatedly stated that judges should not legislate from the bench since THAT is your job. Have you now changed your mind ?"

I watched a few minutes of the proceedings and then switched channels. It was just too much drama. Before I clicked on by, I was watching the rep. from South Carolina question Sotomayor about her "hispanic woman" statement. It is true, if the word white and hispanic were interchanged and a white woman had spoken it, there would be "hell to pay".

It was a mistake. She is only human. I know she is proud, (and rightfully so) and I understand where she is coming from, but our country is becoming so mixed that soon there won't be the same minorities any longer. So, all races need to be tactful of each other from this point forward. All derogatory comments about another race are just that: Racist. No matter which race you are.

The Rep. from South Carolina was correct when he said that this hopefully will be something our country can learn from.

In my opinion, a wise hispanic woman could make a better decision than a dumb person of any race and either gender.

I submit that Sonia Sotomayor could make better decisions than Jeffeson Beauregard Sessions III and Lindsey (my party wrong or wrong) Graham, no matter what the situation.