Sunday Scramble: A Warm-Up Walk Through Sunday Talk

Democratic leaders in the U.S. Senate, in step with the Obama White House, have cruised this week following the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Republicans, meanwhile, have been struggling to develop a coherent argument in opposition. Even Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) admits that Judge Sotomayor's confirmation is "highly likely." The question has thus become not if Judge Sotomayor will be confirmed, but if she will be smoothly confirmed. The nature and scope of Republican dissent remains cloudy. Nevertheless, the GOP cause was given new life on Friday when the Obama administration acknowledged that Judge Sotomayor's 2001 comment that a female Hispanic judge would often reach a better decision than a white male judge was off-the-mark. "I'm sure she would have restated it," said President Obama to NBC News.

It's doubtful that Judge Sotomayor's controversial statement will soon fade away. Conservative commentators such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and radio host Rush Limbaugh have raised eyebrows and tweeted disapproval, arguing that the assertion suggests a potentially unseemly view of the role of ethnicity within the law. Cable news outlets have also run with the story, quickly making the comment a major thorn in what was a (short-lived) rosy roll-out by the White House.

This Sunday, the politics of Sotomayor will continue to dominate Washington and the political talk-shows. Here is a guide to what's on and what to watch for, along with some political bacon bits for your Sunday TV breakfast.


ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos

Who's on... This Week host George Stephanopoulos has lined up interviews with a dynamic Senate Judiciary Committee duo--Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

Press roundtable... ABC's George Will, ABC's Jan Crawford Greenburg, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, PBS' Gwen Ifill, former Bush adviser Ed Gillespie

Escort service... Look for Sen. Schumer to drop hints about the Democrats' Hill strategy for Judge Sotomayor. Sen. Schumer is slated to guide her through the confirmation process. Don't expect the wily New Yorker to try and make Monday morning headlines by sharing any new information about where Judge Sotomayor stands on hot-button issues, such as her judgement in Ricci v. DeStefano, the controversial New Haven firefighter case. Nonetheless, it's worth watching to see what Sen. Schumer focuses on between your waffles, and his. What he says, and how he says it, will be a clue to the pre-hearings narrative the Dems are building around their SCOTUS nominee. Sen. Schumer has already used tough language in recent days about potential GOP opposition to Judge Sotomayor, saying that Republicans "oppose her at their peril." Will he continue to hammer that line or backpedal with an overture to those across the aisle? My bet is on the former.

Reverse reverse... Sen. Cornynhas gone sour this week on Judge Sotomayor's 2005 comment regarding the Court of Appeals as a potential home for policy making, calling such a notion "troubling." The Texan is also fuming about the aforementioned catcalls from some members of the GOP who have used the words Sotomayor and racist in the same sentence. On Thursday, Sen. Cornyn told National Public Radio that the Limbaugh-Gingrich School of Sotomayorese is "not the kind of tone any of us want to set when it comes to performing our constitutional responsibilities of advise and consent." Like it or not, it's Rush and Newt who are getting the attention, and Sen. Cornyn will have to offer more than a wagging finger at elements of the right on Sunday if he hopes to become a louder voice in the SCOTUS debate.

Farragut fodder... Have a couple of free hours? Pick up All Too Human, the 1999 memoir by Stephanopoulos. The one-time Clinton White House aide describes his experience during the headydays of 1993, when President Clinton tapped Ruth Bader Ginsburgfor the highest court. Guess who Stephanopoulos writes was Clinton's first choice? Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo. What happened? "Clinton hated how Cuomo always made everything so difficult."

Bottom line... Stephanopoulos will have to find a balance between covering the GOP's Limbaugh-Gingrich spat and getting beyond Sotomayor platitudes with Sen. Schumer. Will George Will or Ed Gillespie side with Sen. Cornyn or offer a new take on the GOP's Soto-skepticism? Times and channels for This Week can be found here.

NBC's Meet the Press with David Gregory

Who's on... MTP moderator David Gregory will first conduct a Sotomayor panel featuringSen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. Then, Gregory will veer into an economic discussion with Anne Mulcahy, Chairman & CEO of Xerox Corporation, Jim Owens, Chairman & CEO of Caterpillar Inc., and Eric Schmidt, Chairman & CEO of Google Inc.

Press roundtable... BBC World News America's Katty Kay, NBC's Brian Williams, author Richard Wolffe

Cake walk... Sen. Leahy is very confident that Judge Sotomayor will be confirmed. In the meantime, he and Sen. Sessionshave sent her a bipartisan questionnaire to complete in preparation for the upcoming hearings. Though the two senior Judiciary members may be friendly, the White House is said to be helping Judge Sotomayor to prepare for the hearings. They don't expect her to be borked, but they don't want any surprises, either. Still, just how these hearings will play out will largely be in the hands of Sen. Sessions. To get a sense of Sen. Leahy's approach, check out this interesting C-SPAN video that The Atlantic dug up from 1998 featuring the Vermont Democrat speaking on Judge Sotomayor and her enemies. He rails against Senate Republicans for opposing her appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Why were some conservatives turned off back then? They feared, according to Sen. Leahy, that one day Judge Sotomayor could be nominated to the Supreme Court. Fear becomes loathing in Washington.

August and everything after... The Washington Post reports that Sen. Sessions is concerned about the August confirmation date sought by President Obama. Too rushed, too quick, he says. While praising Judge Sotomayor's background and experience, he has been telling reporters this week that it's that same lengthy CV and court record that needs careful review. Look for him to push back on the timeline. If the GOP can't win this nomination fight, they'd at least like to prolong it and air any liberal laundry they find in Judge Sotomayor's past decisions. As The Huffington Post points out, Sen. Sessions asked tough questions of Judge Sotomayor during her 2nd Circuit hearings over a decade ago. Can Sen. Sessions articulate a new approach for his party in how they approach Judge Sotomayor today? Sen. Sessions is sharp but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to mold the various opposition voices in his party into an effective instrument.

Gregory Goes Public... On Friday afternoon, David Gregory tweeted that he left his wife's reunion party at Princeton University to travel to the New York Stock Exchange to conduct a CEO roundtable on the economy. He even got to bang the gavel. One of MTP's CEO guests, Google's Erich Schmidt, just lost one of his top policy advisers to the Obama administration. How good can the economy be if an executive leaves the free food of the Googleplex for DC cafeteria grub? Hopefully Gregory got us some answers.

Bottom line... Senators Leahy and Sessions will clarify, sans exact dates, the confirmation schedule for viewers and offer details into the Sotomayor vetting process. And that's what MTP this Sunday is really all about--not the politics of Sotomayor, that's still to come this summer when the hearings heat up. For now, it's all about the politics of the process. Both men have reached across the aisle, at least publicly, in advocating a smooth advise and consent. Times and channels for MTP can be found here.


CBS' Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer

Who's on... This week, host Bob Schieffer interviews Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ).

Press roundtable... The Washington Post's Bob Woodward, The New York Times' David Brooks

CA + Sotomayor... FTN hosts Senators Dianne Feinstein and Jon Kyl. Although discussion on Judge Sotomayor is, of course, expected, look for Schieffer to broach subjects beyond the Beltway, from the state of California's economy to gay marriage. Regarding the Sotomayor debate, Sen. Kyl has been voicing similar concerns to those of Sen. Sessions about the August vote date that is favored by the White House. Instead, Sen. Kyl has said that September is much more likely. For Sen. Feinstein, editorialists in her home state are pushing for her to take on a prominent role in the hearings. This week, The Sacramento Bee wrote that "California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is one of 19 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings on Sotomayor's nomination. And Feinstein is well-placed to take on the most important of these issues: the balance of powers among the branches of government." Watch to see if the California Democrat maneuvers for a more prominent role in the Sotomayor debate.

All Obama's Men and Women... The New Republic reported this week that Bob Woodward is working on a book about the Obama White House. TNR's Gabriel Sherman writes that "an especially hungry Bob Woodward is especially bad news if you're one of the people being written about. 'Good luck,' another Woodward friend told me when I asked if the White House will succeed in keeping Woodward out. 'If you want to hide things from Bob, it always comes out. It always does.'"

No opinion, yet... David Brooks wrote this week that he has yet to develop an opinion on Judge Sotomayor. "What I have is a process that I hope will lead me to an opinion. The first thing I do in these cases is consult intellectually honest people who know way more than I do about a given subject," he said. Maybe he's saving his editorializing for Schieffer's table.

Bottom line... With the Dems holding a 59-40 Senate majority, Sen. Kyl was merely facing reality this week when he said that the GOP will probably not filibuster Judge Sotomayor. Filibuster or not, look for Sen. Kyl to stress the August time frame as "too soon" and make the case for a September vote on the Supreme Court nominee. Will Sen. Feinstein run for Governor of California next year? She'll probably give a non-answer, but flat-out denial would be news. Times and channels can be found here.


Also of note...

FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace

Who's on... On Sunday, host Chris Wallace is joined by Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for a Sotomayor discussion. He will then have a conversation on the future of the Republican Party with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Plus a roundtable withFOX News' Brit Hume, FOX News' Mara Liasson, The Weekly Standard's William Kristol and NPR's Juan Williams to wrap up the program. Times and channels here.

CNN's State of the Union with John King
Who's on... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joins John King this Sunday to discuss the pending confirmation battle over Judge Sotomayor, the economy and the GOP. Also joining will be Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX). Coverage of the Sotomayor nomination will then be analyzed by CBS' Chip Reid, The New York Times' Jeff Zeleny and USA Today's Joan Biskupic, one of the best SCOTUS reporters. Times and channels here.

NBC's The Chris Matthews Show
Who's on... New York magazine's John Heilemann, The New York Times' Helene Cooper, NBC's Mark Whitaker and The Washington Post's Anne Kornblut. Time and channels here.

CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS
Who's on... Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former ambassador to North Korea Charles Prichard, author Selig Harrison, author Joshua Cooper Ramo and author Niall Ferguson. Times and channels here.

C-SPAN's Newsmakers
Who's on... Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Thomas Hubbard. Times and channels here.

Bloomberg TV's Political Capital with Al Hunt
Who's on... World Bank President Robert Zoellick. Times and channels here.

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