Our job is to constitutional I’m going to

Bam to GOP: I will nominate

PRESIDENT Obama challenged obstinate Republican senators who said they wouldn’t even consider a Supreme Court nominee by insisting Wednesday he would choose someone in the weeks ahead — and blasted them for listening to the “most extreme voices” in their party.

“I recognize the politics are hard for them because the easier thing to do is to give in to the most extreme voices within their party and stand pat and do nothing. But that’s not our job. Our job is to fulfill our constitu- tional duties,” Obama said. “I’m going to do my job.”

He said it would be “difficult” for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to block any nominee without it looking like a blatant political gesture.

“If, in fact, the Republicans in the Senate take a posture that defies the Constitution, defies logic, is not supported by tradition simply because of politics, then invariably what you’re going to see is a further deterioration in the ability of any President to make any judicial appointments,” Obama said.

“Not only are you going to see more and more vacancies and the court system break down,” Obama predicted, “but the credibility of the (Supreme) Court begins to diminish because it’s viewed simply as an extension of our politics.”

But the President also said he anticipated the latest show of hardheadedness might actually soften once Republican lawmakers are faced with an actual candidate they can evaluate.

“I don’t expect any member of the Republican caucus to stick their head out at the moment and say that,” Obama said. “But let’s see how the public responds to the nominee that we

President Obama says Wednesday that obstinacy from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (far r.) and the GOP will not stop him from picking successor to Justice Antonin Scalia. He said the pols are listening to “extreme voices.”