Kagan Gains Republican Support

President Obama's nominee for the United States Supreme Court has been making the rounds of Senate offices in the last week in an effort to pick up support for her nomination. And it looks like she's been successful, even among Republicans. I expected her to be confirmed, but I must say I didn't think she would be garnering Republican support quite this fast.

She met with Senator Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts). Brown's only worry was whether Ms. Kagan supported the military. This worry sprang from the falsehood spread by his Republican brothers that while at Harvard Kagan had denied the military access to the Law School. But Ms. Kagan seems to have allayed any fears Brown had.

Senator Brown said, "It was the first question I actually asked her because, having been in the military, I had concerns about [her] position at Harvard. It was very clear to me, after we spoke about it at length, that she is supportive of the men and women who are fighting to protect us and very supportive of the military as a whole. I do not feel that her judicial philosophy will hurt the men and women who are serving."

Kagan also seems to have won the support of Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). After meeting with Kagan, Collins said she had no qualms about Kagan's lack of judicial experience. She said Kagan had also told her that she considers Roe v. Wade to be settled law (which should help settle the fears of some liberals, too). Collins said she didn't see any "extraordinary circumstances" that would cause her to support a filibuster against Kagan's confirmation.

But while it is nice (and probably necessary) to have the support of these Republican senators, the most high-profile Republican support came from outside Washington. Laura Bush has announced that she supports Kagan's nomination.

Mrs. Bush said, "I think it's great. I'm really glad that there will be three [women] if she's confirmed. I like to have women on the Supreme Court. I think it does make a difference. And you know, I just like women to be represented in all parts of American political and civic life."

I would say that things are looking pretty favorable for Kagan's confirmation. I still expect many Republicans to raise as much of a ruckus as they can about the nomination, but they'll just be shouting into a high wind -- a wind that will sweep Elena Kagan onto the Supreme Court.