[choc e-Claire]

Not that this will make a difference, but: the point of contention is that replacing someone who died nine months before the election is a lot simpler than replacing someone who died a month and a half before it. The fact that the GOP was willing to prevent the former, but wants to allow the latter, is where most (all) of the complaints about hypocrisy come in.

As I said earlier in the other thread: nine old people appointed for life, nowadays explicitly for political reasons, is hardly how a democracy should work. 'Good' thing you guys have stopped being one.