title:  President Obama Mocks Conservatives That Claim To Be Constitutional Scholars (VIDEO)
text: President Barack Obama has addressed the ridiculous demands that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republicans like presidential candidate Ted Cruz have placed on him, insisting that he forego nominating a new Supreme Court justice after the sudden passing of Justice Antonin Scalia.This takedown moment came at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Leaders Summit in California, where Obama sent his  heartfelt condolences  to Scalia s loved ones. When he was asked what he would do if McConnell actually went through with threats to block his SCOTUS nominee, Obama ripped the Republicans a new one by reminding them that it was his constitutional duty to find a replacement, and that it was their constitutional duty to  do their job  and vote on his nominee. He said: The Constitution is pretty clear about what s supposed to happen now: When there s a vacancy on the Supreme Court, the President of the United States is to nominate someone. The senate is to consider that nomination and either they disapprove of that nominee or that nominee is elevated to the Supreme Court.Historically, this has not been viewed as a question. Obama, who is actually a former constitutional law professor, then hilariously mocked the Republican lawmakers who tried to deny his presidential duties with ridiculous interpretations of the U.S. Constitution: I m amused when I hear people who claim to be strict interpreters of the Constitution suddenly reading into it a whole series of provisions that are not there. We ve almost gotten accustomed to how obstructionist the Senate has become when it comes to nominations. In some ways, this argument is just an extension of what we ve seen in the Senate, generally. Obama voiced his disappointment in the Republicans  resolve to stop him, noting that the Supreme Court is  the one court where we would expect elected officials to rise above day-to-day politics.  Going forward, Obama suggested that it would be  a good moment for us to rise above  the resistance and obstructionism in Congress.Then, Obama said another thing the GOP wouldn t like   that they were far from discouraging him from fulfilling his responsibility to nominate, in due time, a very well-qualified candidate.  Obama said: If we are following basic precedent, then that nominee will be presented before the committees, the vote will be taken and, ultimately, they will be confirmed. Although Obama didn t reveal who he would choose, the president did assure everyone that We re going to find somebody who is an outstanding legal mind, somebody who cares deeply about our democracy and cares about rule of law. I m going to present somebody who indisputably is qualified for the seat, and any fair-minded person, even somebody who disagrees with my politics, would say would serve with honor and integrity on the court. You can watch Obama take down Republicans at the conference below: Featured image via Pete Souza