With that in mind, savor this clip of Judge Sotomayor saying that “Court of Appeals is where policy is made” — followed by a quick “D’oh!” moment as she realizes she’s on tape, at which point she backtracks in a rather lame and insincere fashion:

Until then, you can enjoy this: an article about her shortcomings, in which one of her supporters says: “She’s a fine Second Circuit judge–maybe not the smartest ever, but how often are Supreme Court nominees the smartest ever?”