Former Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-AR), a right-winger who lost re-election against conservative Democrat Mark Pryor in 2002, gave a remarkably candid and dispassionate analysis of the Sotomayor nomination on MSNBC today -- laying out just how bad he thinks it is for the Republicans:

"Oh I think it's a brilliant nomination, and I think it creates a great political dilemma for Republicans," said Hutchinson. "You've got a Republican base that is -- they're ready for a fight, they want to take the measure of how much fight there is in Senate Republicans. And there is the great risk that you alienate women and you alienate Latinos, both constituencies that the Republicans struggle with and need to expand to. So I think it's a big political problem for Republicans."