I thought she was of northern European, probably Germanic, ethnicity, until the media started pronouncing her name "SO-ta-may-OR" instead of "SO-da-MY-er."

Neil D, you said:
"Anyone who opposes this nomination is someone with ZERO interest in being people of good will who would overcome their differences in order to do the work necessary to bring this country out of its current difficulties. They are obstuctionists of the first order who could just be endangering their congressional seats in the next elections."

BINGO

I think it's patently obvious that those Republicans and other right wingers who are protesting so loudly about Sotamayor have one or more of these agendas:

1. Tie up the hands of the Dems and Obama with the confirmation process so they can't get much, if anything, else done this summer.

2. Taint Sotamayor's image so much, in the eyes of the right wing, that her name will make for a great anti-Obama poster in 2012 (and in Congressional races in 2010).

3. Float the meme that Sodamayor, who is actually moderate and largely pro-big-Corporation in her leanings, represents "the far left" -- so that Obama wouldn't DARE actually nominate a REAL liberal in future appointments.

Genie