Republicans in the U.S. Senate have vowed to block any nominee the president might submit to succeed the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. But Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois says there’s more than enough time to consider who should fill the vacancy.
Durbin says although he disagreed with Scalia on many issues, he came to know him as a bright, funny man who gave three decades to public service.
But he says he doesn’t understand why Republicans are already refusing to support anyone Obama nominates for the position.
“This nation that they’re rejecting the idea that he would want to be president for the remaining 11 months of his term, in my mind, is an indication of just how bad things are in the Republican-controlled Congress," Durbin said.
Illinois’ other U.S. senator, Mark Kirk, is up for re-election this year. He could face pressure to defy his Republican colleagues, but is not yet taking a position on the question of an Obama nominee. He says it’s “unseemly” to rush into a political debate.
