BLITZER: But, first, we want get to -- back to our top story, the confirmation hearings today of Sonia Sotomayor to become an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.

One of her big supporters has testified in -- on her behalf, and he is joining us now, the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg.

Thanks very much, Mayor, for coming in.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: Wolf, thanks for having me.

BLITZER: All right, lots of criticism from -- from the right especially for some of her more controversial statements, like the "wise Latina" comments and others, but you believe she would be an excellent Supreme Court justice.

Make the case, briefly, for her.

BLOOMBERG: Well, what you want in a justice is somebody that listens, somebody that's smart, somebody that the lawyers have a chance of convincing, somebody who understands the broad context of what civil rights mean and the temper of the times.

And I think this woman has the intellectual content. She has the drive. And her decisions, some of which I have disagreed with -- sometimes, she's ruled against New York City, and I really disagreed with her on those cases.

But we don't know what things this justice is going to have to confront in the next couple of decades while she serves, assuming she gets appointed -- and -- or gets -- gets approved.

And, so, you can't look at any one case and say, well, I agree with her or disagree with her on that. The question is, is she -- does she have the intellectual capacity to really look at the facts, understand the law?

And, sometimes, Wolf, you and I may disagree with what -- the results, but the judge's job is to look at the law and see what the law says. If we want to -- don't like the law, you go back to the legislature and say, change the law. Sometimes, I think we ask these judges the wrong kind of questions.

BLITZER: Here's what Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, a very thoughtful senator, at one point at the end of his questioning earlier, he said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: You have said some things that just bug the hell out of me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, he was pretty blunt about that, but he did go on to praise her. And he left open the possibility he might actually vote to confirm her.

BLOOMBERG: Well, Lindsey Graham is a very smart guy.

And, you know, he's going to have different views as to how he would like cases to turn out than you and I or -- or, in fact, the judges themselves. But it shouldn't be what we want to have happen. It's got to be what the law says. And, if we don't like what the law says, go back to the legislature.

This is a woman who really does deserve to be a Supreme Court judge. And I think we should not forget that the founding fathers said nine judges. Why? Because they wanted a diverse group of views, so that the judges can work together and craft a decision, an interpretation of what the law means, but coming at it from many different points of view.

And this woman has lots of experience. If you take a look at her academic record, it's very impressive. She's worked very hard. And, in fact, she has been upheld by -- 90 percent of the time by the Republican-appointed judges in New York who have reviewed her cases.

And I think that says a lot for crossing party lines, and really not having an ideology, but looking at the law and doing what a judge is supposed to do.

BLITZER: You obviously like her a lot and make a strong case for her. It looks like she's not going to have any trouble getting confirmed.

Let -- let me pick your brain on a couple other subjects while I have you, Mayor, this proposal in the House of Representatives to dramatically increase the tax rates for the wealthiest Americans to help pay for health reform, health insurance for a lot of other Americans.

"The New York Post" had a headline on the front page, "Sick Joke: New York's Risk-Takers Would Pay 57 Percent Tax Under Obama Care."

Is this a good idea, to increase the tax rates for those Americans making more than $250,000 or $300,000 a year, in order to pay for health care for everyone else?

BLOOMBERG: Well, number one, that's the House version. And the Senate version really is very different.

I think what we really have to do here, however, is step back and say, why do we pay $2,000 or $3,000 more per capita for health care than they do in Western Europe, and Western Europe's life expectancy is two or three years greater than we have?

What we need is tort reform. We need to have people understand we just cannot afford every single test every time for everybody. And we're going to have to make some very hard decisions, how many hospitals we have, where they're located, who gets paid what.

We don't focus in this country on preventive care. And, if we did, we would have a lot fewer people going to hospitals or going to doctors and needing emergency care.

What you want to do is pay attention to how you can, for example, improve your own personal health, watching your weight, and not smoking, and eating intelligently. Those are the kinds of things -- and I think that's one of the things that gets lost in all of this business of trying to be to decide who's going to come up with more money.

Throwing more money every time at the problem is not necessarily the right solution. And where that money comes from, that's something that I think will take a long time to be worked out between the House and the Senate. This is just the start of the process.

BLITZER: And, so, don't forget exercise. That's very important, as well.

BLOOMBERG: Exercise is very important.

BLITZER: Let me just try to pin you down, though. So, do you oppose a tax increase to pay for health care?

BLOOMBERG: Well, I -- somebody's going to have to pay, or we're going to have to have fewer services. And that could be -- taxes is one possibility, and then the question is on whom.

Another thing is, you can have businesses be required to provide services. Or you can have, as the case in New York City, if you don't have health care, and you need emergency care, you come to one of our 11 public hospitals, which keep getting rated right at the top for quality, and the city will provide emergency services.

That, in the end, is all New York City taxpayers paying to take care of the people in New York City who don't have their own health care plan, either because they're not working or they work for a company that's not providing it.

BLITZER: Mayor, thanks very much for coming in.

BLOOMBERG: You're welcome, Wolf. Nice to see you.

BLITZER: Thank you.