This article makes me sick. If I try to distill the story down to a few sentences, I end up with a summary like this: some Republicans are trying to seize the opportunity to stick it to the Democrats by opposing Sotomayor, but other Republicans haven’t seen a good reason to oppose her. Still others think that they should give her carte blanche because she’s Hispanic and they don’t want to seem racist, or because the GOP needs stronger Hispanic backing. Some have blatantly confessed that they’re trying to figure out what would resonate most with voters.

Conspicuously absent in Congress, at least as told by this article, is any discussion about whether or not Sotomayor is a good candidate for the Supreme Court. Isn’t that all that matters? Stop discussing partisan loyalty, organized tactics to make your point, or race. If she’s qualified, approve her. If not, oppose her nomination and explain why you’re doing so. Is it really that hard?

(This isn’t at all meant to suggest that Republicans are alone in doing these things. They’re just the ones in the news at this particular moment.)