Obama camp revs up to defend Sotomayor

After announcing the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor Tuesday morning, the president sent out an email message and a video introducing Sotomayor to supporters and asking them to spread the word about her.

"I am proud to announce my nominee for the next Justice of the United States Supreme Court: Judge Sonia Sotomayor," the presidential email said. "This decision affects us all -- and so it must involve us all."

The email included a video message that the president said would "personally introduce Judge Sotomayor and explain why I'm so confident she will make an excellent Justice." It also included an encouragement to watch the video and pass it along to friends and family.

The email and the video were paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, and a disclaimer at the end of the email noted that the message "is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."

The message in the email indicates the themes the White House and Democrats plan to use to win the battle for Sotomayor's confirmation.

President Obama calls the nomination a "historic moment," which seems an indirect reference to Sotomayor's ethnicity and gender. She would be the first Hispanic member of the Court, the first Latina on the Court and only the third woman ever to sit on the Court.

"Judge Sotomayor has lived the America Dream," Obama wrote, noting that she was "born and raised in a South Bronx housing project" and "distinguished herself in academia and then as a hard-charging New York District Attorney." Those words seem to indicate an effort to portray her as smart, tough judge well within the mainstream of American values.

Democrats have also been pushing to underscore Sotomayor's experience and President Obama, a former constitutional law professor, wasted no time in characterizing her as "one of America's finest legal minds."

"As a Supreme Court Justice, she would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any Justice in 100 years," the president wrote. But he also indirectly discussed the importance of empathy, a term widely derided by conservatives. "Judge Sotomayor would show fidelity to our Constitution and draw on a common-sense understanding of how the law affects our day-to-day lives."

The video (shown below) shows the president speaking directly to the camera. "Hello everybody. I just wanted to take a few minutes to share with you an important decision I'm announcing today."

"After reviewing many great candidates, I'm absolutely certain that Judge Sotomayor is the right choice." Obama said she possesses "all the qualities" it takes to be a superb Justice.

The president listed three qualities, including "mastery of the law," a recognition of a judge's job not to make law, and "a common touch."

Obama ended his video pitch with an appeal to the Senate to move "with all deliberate speed" to confirm her. "We, America, need her on the Supreme Court," he said.