What about empathy?

So there has been a big furor over the Sotomayor SC nomination. There's been much squawking from the GOP about this 'empathy' word and the necessity of the "objectively applying the law" where personal feelings play no part. Ironic coming from the political party that wants no criminal inquiry into Bush's interrogation policies that include some obvious war crimes, since there were the good intentions of protecting us.

During Sotomayor's confirmation hearings this week, one GOP senator after another took the opportunity to grandstand about judicial neutrality and empathy and race politics. And that is all it was--grandstanding. It's established wisdom that she will get confirmed, and many of them even hinted they would still vote to confirm. No one expected her confirmation not to go through. If the Senate Republicans were actually interested in criticizing her they would not have had turned down this guy to come testify. Jeffrey Deskovic was wrongly convicted and Judge Sotomayor refused to hear the evidence based on a late paperwork technicality. After seeing the facts of that case, is there anyone who would have serious concern about her 'empathy'?

Instead, they have dyslexic Frank Ricci testify since his case is more of the GOP base red meat about affirmative action than about wrongful convictions (something the pro-death penalty part would rather ignore). The whole uproar over empathy and race politics has been an opportunity to grandstand and has little to do with the actual nominee.