It's not much of a surprise that Republicans would find something to complain about regarding the anticipated Supreme Court vacancy.  Political conservatives have been critical of the President's every action, so why should this be any different?  But, empathy?  Their opposition to a character trait of a Justice yet to be named, took shape over the weekend, and are discussed briefly at the beginning of this clip from Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

As noted in the Countdown clip, empathy is code for judicial activism, which is code for pro-choice for Republicans.  Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's treatments of the Souter retirement, aside from being funnier than Olbermann's, go beyond the bickering of conservative politicians and reveal the mainstream media's penchant for stirring up controversy.