Kaine Praises Sotomayor

Gov. Tim Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, predicted an easy Senate confirmation for Sonia Sotomayor, the appeals court judge who President Obama nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court this morning.

"There's going to be a vigorous discussion. That's the way it ought to be,'' Kaine said on his monthly call-in show on WTOP. But "I think the demonstrated track record of success is going to carry the day for this nominee."

Kaine pointed out that Sotomayor was previously nominated by both Republican and Democratic presidents and was twice confirmed by the Senate.

"It is not as if she is an unknown quantity,'' he said. "She's well known to many of those in the Senate who will be asked to vote on this nomination. President (H.W.) Bush and senators from two separate confirmations have supported her. I think it's an opportunity for discussion but I think her background will serve her well and she will be conformed."

Sotomayor, 54, who grew up in a Bronx housing project, would be the first Supreme Court justice of Hispanic descent and only the third woman ever to sit on the panel.

"You know America is still the land of unlikely stories, thank goodness, and this is another unlikely story,'' Kaine said. "She combines service with a life story that is a very powerful one that will bode well for the court.''