[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/21/art.obama.0420d.gi.jpg caption ="President Obama has been reaching out to potential candidates for the pending Supreme Court vacancy."](CNN) - President Obama is expected to meet with key Republican and Democratic leaders Wednesday to discuss a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
Obama has been privately reaching out this week to candidates for the pending Supreme Court vacancy, an administration source said Tuesday.
The president's conversations with potential candidates were conducted over the phone. Specifics of the discussions were not disclosed by the source.
Stevens announced he would retire shortly after the court's current term ends in late June.
White House officials have said they expect the president to pick his nominee by early May.
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Discuss? I doubt it. A mandate will be more like Obama and his silver tongue will manipulate the powers that aren't.
The first question out of his mouth will be "How can we screw and fool the American people today."
Big Deal. The Dems are all yes people.
The meeting will take place in the basement of the White house in a dark windowless room with guards at the door. The only visitors allowed will be the union bosses; the pharma lobbyists; large campaign donors; Reverend Wright; Malcolm X; and a special delegation of socialists.
Change you voted for...... patooey
Another dog and pony show presented by the President. He shows the American people he wants bipartisan help in chooosing the next Justice, but in reality he dosen't really care what they think or want!
Why include democrats at all? This cowardly president will most likely choose a "moderate" (in reality a right wing Nazi) in order to appease republicans. The healthcare bill was nothing but a sham that really is not a step forward but a huge boon for the insurance industry, DODT is still in place, ect. I am a lifelong deomcrat and am fervently hoping that this president is a one term Johnny. I'd rather have republican in the White House than Obama. What a disappointment.
If the Republicans swagger in and try to "litigate" this on the public airwaves, President Obama will dismiss them out of hand. The pick is his and his alone to make.
The best way to influence this president is behind closed doors .... appealing to his intellect .... not by challenging his authority.
Elections have consequences. After having named 7 of the last 9 Supreme Court justices, Republicans should expect that the Democrats will assert themselves fairly strongly.
The best any advocacy group should do is to try to surface a name for the next replacement ... possibly Ruth Bader Ginsberg or Antonin Scalia.
I hope that the new justice will understand what impact their rulings could have. I would like a justice that doesn't reverse ruling about campaign finance that were there for several decades.
Obama's "discussion" means that only he talks and everybody else just listens..... hope and change we didn't vote for .
Why should he reach out to those REPUGS they will just say no to anyone he picks anyway