Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has used debate over Sonia Sotomayor to argue that Democratic opposition to Bush administration judicial nominees reduced the deference GOP senators are now obliged to give a president's judicial picks, freeing them to oppose nominees on philosophical grounds.

Asked after Sotomayor's confirmation Thursday if he felt his argument caught on with GOP colleagues, who voted 31-9 against Sotomayor's confirmation, McConnell said he was pleased with the way his caucus approached the vote.

"This was an issue upon which every senator tries establishing their own criteria for judging a nominee. And it's kind of shifted over the years from a period during which qualifications alone -- where'd you go to school, how long have you practiced and that sort of thing -- was viewed by the vast majority senators as the standard," McConnell said. "It led to nominees becoming something of a political football."

"I am proud of how the Republican conference handled this nomination respectfully, thoughtfully. I think we restored to some degree the reputation of the Senate in dealing with nominees, which had been significantly damaged, in my view, by the treatment of some of our nominees by the other side. Hopefully we'll continue to achieve a level of civility and respect in dealing with nominees in the future."