UNBELIEVABLE – AT 11:58 A.M. ET:  Increasingly the message from the left is that Barack Obama is not left enough.  Now the left is even attacking a possible Obama Supreme Court pick.  From The Hill: 

Sri Srinivasan is on President Obama’s short list for the Supreme Court, but his representation of corporate clients is causing heartburn for the left.

Srinivasan is an attractive candidate for Obama, who wants to make Republicans look as bad as possible if they follow through on their vow to blockade any nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

Confirmed to the D.C. Circuit in 2013 by a vote of 97-0, Srinivasan is a friend of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and would seem to be a difficult nominee for Republicans to object to given their past, unanimous support.

He’d also be the first Indian-American and Hindu to serve on the Supreme Court.

The problem?

As an attorney for O’Melveny & Myers, he defended ExxonMobil and mining giant Rio Tinto for allegations of serious human rights abuses in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

“It’s hard to find a worse client than defending Exxon Mobil against allegations of torture and war crimes,” Jamie Henn, communications director for 350.org, a group that advocates for a safe climate and a just, prosperous and equitable world.

He accused Srinivasan of helping corporations “dismantle human rights law,” and called his record “deeply disturbing.”

“Unless he can clarify that he no longer stands behind these arguments, he should be disqualified,” he said.

COMMENT:  I am not an expert on Supreme Court candidates, but, from everything I read, Srinivasan is considered an outstanding and fair-minded judge.  He would probably be Obama's best pick.  And, yes, it would be hard for Republicans to turn him down.

The left, which also is behind the Bernie Sanders movement, is growing increasingly militant, especially within the Democratic Party.  We can't expect a conservative Supreme Court choice from Obama, but we have a right to expect a nominee who reflects the fact that the Senate, which must confirm the president's pick, is in Republican hands and insists on its role to advise and consent. 

There is some reporting that says that the president will announce his choice within weeks.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has pledged that the Senate will not consider any nominee until the next president is chosen.  We'll see if that pledge is kept.

March 12, 2016