Sotomayor hearings: Lindsey Graham pops the balloon

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is the first Republican to sound downright conciliatory toward Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

He also voiced what so far has been unspoken here in the hearing room.

"Unless you have a complete meltdown, you are going to be confirmed," Graham said. He added that he did not expect that to happen.

But Graham also signaled his discomfort with Sotomayor's "wise Latina" remark. "If I ever said something remotely like that, my career would have been over," he said.

He spoke, however, of the need to defer to the president's nominees, noting his own fervent support of Obama's opponent, John McCain. Obama won, he said. "That ought to matter."

-- James Oliphant

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Photo: Sen. Lindsey Graham at today's confirmation hearings. Credit: Mark Wilson / Getty Images