Senate GOP likely to hold line on Supreme Court pick

The Washington Examiner reports:

Republican insiders predicted Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wouldn't back down from his pledge to block President Obama's expected pick to succeed the late conservative justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Some Republicans have questioned the wisdom of the Kentucky Republican's quick move announcing that Scalia's successor shouldn't be appointed until the voters weigh in this November and the next president is inaugurated. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., predicted that McConnell would eventually acquiesce and permit the Senate to vote on Obama's nominee.

But Republican operatives familiar with McConnell's thinking and closely aligned with GOP senators said they expect the blockade to hold. The stakes of letting the now-evenly divided nine-member high court swing liberal with the confirmation of what would be Obama's third nominee, and the political repercussions for doing so, are enough to keep most Republicans on board with McConnell's plan.

Courage.