Sen. Martinez "Extremely Proud" Of The Way Republican Senators Have Approached SCOTUS Nomination

As reported by Politico, retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) has bucked his party by offering a "glowing review" of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. While many conservatives have launched racist, sexist, and just plain hateful attacks against President Obama's pick for the court, Martinez had nothing but positive things to say about Judge Sotomayor after his one-on-one meeting with her today.  "I am very, very impressed with her -- not only her personal qualities but also her qualities as a judge," he said.

Martinez also defended Sotomayor's now-famous "wise Latina" comment, but refused to criticize his colleagues who have used it to label her a racist. "I am extremely proud of the way Republican senators have approached the nomination," Martinez added.  But while most Senate Republicans have steered clear of deliberately ugly attacks, their approach to Sotomayor's nomination has hardly been commendable. In fact, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office is reportedly encouraging outside activists to keep up the attacks.  Additional offenses by Senate Republicans include:

• Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) questioned whether Sotomayor can make rulings "without undue influence" from her race or gender. 

• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) admitted that opposing Sotomayor for political reasons is "not doing the country any good," but said Republicans should do it anyway.

• Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he has "better things to do" than stopping his party's attacks. 

• Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) announced he would vote "no" on Sotomayor's nomination no matter what she says in her confirmation hearings.

It seems Martinez is taking a page out of Sen. John McCain's playbook. During his run for the presidency, McCain claimed to be "proud" of an attack ad comparing Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, domestic terrorist and Watergate crook G. Gordon Liddy, the blatantly hateful attendees at his campaign rallies, and an anti-Obama RNC mailer referencing 9/11. 

Like McCain, Martinez is deflecting criticism of his allies by not only defending them, but taking the extra step of commending their behavior. Basically, Martinez is saying he's "extremely proud" of Senate Republicans for carrying out their partisan opposition to Sotomayor without publicly embarrassing themselves like Newt Gingrich and Tom Tancredo.  Some accomplishment.