We didn’t have to wait long for the tradition to be honored regarding Sonia Sotomayor, whom conventional wisdom pegs as a frontrunner to replace David Souter.

On today’s Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos declared Sotomayor not just a centrist, but a . . . “strong centrist.”

Sotomayor is pro-choice. Would George ever call a pro-life judge centrist?  Sotomayor also has a record of siding with labor.  And in 1998, she was awarded the Court Jester Award by the Family Research Council for extending the application of the Americans With Disabilities Act to a woman who failed the New York bar exam several times because, she said, she couldn’t read very well.

According to this New York Times article, “during her first year [on the bench], she received high ratings from liberal public-interest groups.”

But that didn’t stop Stephanopoulos from claiming that Sotomayor has “built up a strong centrist record on the court.”

You’ll also see Stephanopoulos stressing that because Sotomayor was appointed by the first Pres. Bush, she has “bi-partisan credentials.”  Robin Roberts was quick to agree: “well, people would like her that, the bi-partisan.” Agreed Steph: “easier to confirm.”

Being appointed by the first Pres. Bush is hardly a guarantee of centrism. Don’t forget another Bush 41 appointee: some guy from New Hampshire named . . . David Souter, who turned out to be one of the High Court’s most reliably liberal votes.