TPM is reporting that President Obama has determined that no matter who he picks for the Supreme Court, the Republicans will create a big battle and demonize that candidate.
President Obama thinks Republicans will engage in a full battle over his Supreme Court nominee regardless of the person's ideological leanings, and in some ways "that realization is liberating for the president" to choose whomever he pleases, an administration official told TPMDC
This is consistent with Rahm Emanuel's remarks that he expects a "big battle"
"I think that there'll be a huge, huge battle... I think the President will obviously appoint a person that he thinks is appropriate and right for the Supreme Court, as he laid out the kind of criteria in the Justice Stevens model. I think if people took a fresh look at that, I don't think it has to be that type of battle. But we may be at a system and a time in which we have that type of battle."
Emanuel Predicts Big Battle Over Supreme Court Pick
I like it. I think President Obama has learned the right lessons from the health care fight. One key lesson is that most Republicans in Congress will obstruct anything he does. I see this also in the Wall Street reform fight.
Despite having one less Democrat in the Senate than when Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed last year, the administration isn't limiting itself to reviewing only centrist candidates for the court vacancy, the official said.
"It doesn't matter who he chooses, there is going to be a big 'ol fight over it. So he doesn't have to get sidetracked by those sorts of concerns," the official told me.
The GOP has attempted to obstruct "anything of consequence" put forth by the Obama administration since he took office, the official said. "The president is making this decision with a pretty clear view that whoever he chooses is going to provoke a strong reaction on the right," the official added.
TPM
Real bipartisanship is impossible with the vast majority of the Republicans in Congress. So the President can pick the best candidate as he sees him or her.