Are You Sh*tting Us? (UPDATED)

(Ed. note 2/25):  Well, so much for that.  Looks like Sandoval has taken himself out of the mix.)

There are reports that one of the candidates being vetted by the Obama Administration to replace Supreme Court "Justice" Antonin Scalia is Republican (!!) Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada, who endorsed secessionist dope Rick "Oops" Perry in 2012, before settling for Willard "Mittens" Romney.  Also, soon-to be-former (thankfully) Senate Minority Leader Harry "Thin" Reid has met with Sandoval and given the White House his nod to the Republican. Hard to believe the utter cynicism and spinelessness on display, even from this crew.

Whether this is just a trial balloon to excite the obstructionist Rethugs in the Senate or whether the Obama Administration has lost its collective mind remains to be seen. But the fact that any Republican politician would even be whispered as a potential replacement for Scalia is showing the white flag to Republican obstructionists in the Senate. For shame, if this is in any way a serious trial balloon.

UPDATE:  Apparently, the Rethugs are not treating it seriously, saying that a rejection of any Obama nominee is pro forma. Once again, the Rethugs are shown to be obstructionists for the sake of obstruction (which was likely the point of this trial balloon exercise).

UPDATE II:  Anne Laurie assembles evidence that this is multi- dimensional election year pranking of Republicans.

UPDATE III:  David Bernstein, too.

UPDATE IV:  Charles Pierce makes it a consensus.