WASHINGTON — When President Barack Obama brought Republicans his wish list over lunch this week, GOP senators criticized virtually every goal — except confirming Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.
In an election year consumed by fights over health care, Wall Street and the big oil spill, Kagan's quiet march toward a lifetime seat on the nation's highest court is, at least for now, causing little stir.
That's no accident. Republicans and Democrats alike acknowledge privately that one of Kagan's major selling points as a Supreme Court nominee is the fact that just over a year ago, the Senate vetted her for the post of solicitor general — the top lawyer who argues the government's cases before the court — and she won confirmation with seven Republican votes.
That made her an easy pick for a president battling low approval ratings and juggling an ambitious agenda — and one that ranks fairly low on lawmakers' radar screens.
"So many of our members on both sides are involved in so many other issues," said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee that will hold Kagan's confirmation hearings.
