The press continues to give conservatives a free ride with their attacks on Judge Sonia Sotomayor by failing to point out that the conservative opposition to her nomination has virtually nothing to do with her legal opinions. The conservative movement is now unleashing a general interest smear campaign, while the press remains mum and pretends it's still about the law.

The latest Politico installment comes from this article:

Lindsey Graham: Sotomayor has 'character' problem

The South Carolina Republican senator indicated today he will likely not vote for Sotomayor's confirmation. Why? Because of her “ideology,” because of her “temperament,” and because of her “character.” Note what Graham did not address in his very public attack on Sotomayor: her legal writings. (At least Politico made no reference to it in the article.)

For decades the ground rules for Supreme Court nominations were simple. If the party out of power thought the nominee was not sufficiently qualified for the Supreme Court, that the nominee did not have enough experience or was not being forthcoming about his/her judicial philosophy, than some members opposed the nominee.

With Sotomayor, conservatives aren't even bothering to question her legal resume or her legal writings. They're simply attacking her “character,” and the press doesn't say boo.