The lesser of two evils: turning a blind eye

Obama has really put the Republicans in a bad place. There are many questions about Sonia Sotomayor, Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, mainly fair questions, about past rulings and how her “empathicness” will be play out when she is confirmed. The brilliance of Obama’s pick is this: he gets the left judge he wants while alienating Republicans should they decide to dispute his pick. There are real political points to be won by the Republicans, Sotomayor’s past affirmative action ruling (see here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2009-05-31-firefighters_N.htm) which will be overturned this summer, supplemented with a host of quotes like this, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn't lived that life," Republicans could make some valid points (it even feels weird typing that). There are issues with this ruling and her apparent identity politics (identity judgments perhaps?).
Unfortunately for Republicans, they will need to bite their tongue and cheer her across the finish line. Democrats hold 59 seats in the Senate. There is nothing Republicans can do to stop her inevitable confirmation. That fact, coupled with the equally important realization that condemning Sotomayor just looks bad, should be enough to deter Republican criticism. Republican hands are tied, not because their points are illegitimate- but because they cannot afford to alienate Hispanics. Picture this: during Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing, a white Southern Republican yelling, maybe valid points, but yelling about Sotomayors problematic nomination. Is there anything worse in this world? Inevitably this horrific scene would be condensed into an illogical 20 second clip that would run endlessly on cable news. This 20 second clip is now the undeniable evidence that Republicans are truly close minded and that minorities are not welcome in the party. Thus is the brilliance of Obama. He gets his Justice with no fight at all from Republicans (the lesser of two evils in my opinion) or can open his arms and embrace alienated Hispanics. Obama didn’t get to be President at age 47 without knowing how to play the game. Considering how large the Hispanic vote is, and how fast it is growing, it would be counterproductive to question Sotomayor. I wrote in my first post that it would be wise for Obama to avoid unnecessary political battles, explicitly in reference to his Judicial Nomination. Alas, he has not done this. Instead he is waving a piece of meat in front of hungry Republicans, daring them to tear into Sotomayor.