Among the many senators and would-be senators reacting to President Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court is Dan Coats, fresh off his win in the GOP primary in Indiana. In a statement this morning, Coats notes his experience in 2005 as the so-called "sherpa" for the nomination Samuel Alito (leaving out the failed nomination of Harriet Miers before it).

"There are some real questions as to whether Elena Kagan is a strict constructionist in the mold of Samuel Alito, whom I shepherded through the confirmation process, and Hoosier John Roberts - individuals who adhere to the intentions of our Founding Fathers and faithfully interpret the Constitution - or someone who views the Constitution as a 'living document' that can be altered to push a radical agenda," Coats says in the statement. "A number of hard questions must be asked to ensure Ms. Kagan will work to protect the Constitution, not rewrite it."

I spoke to Coats about that role he played for a piece last year about the process of steering a nominee through the confirmation process. He called it then "a straining, draining three-month process that sapped every ounce of your energy." You can read more here.

This morning Ron Klain, the chief of staff to Vice President Biden and a veteran of the process himself, told reporters that White House Counsel Bob Bauer will be heading up the Kagan confirmation, and that associate counsel Susan Davies will accompany her as she begins the series of "courtesy calls" to senators this week. On the timing, press secretary Robert Gibbs noted that they are ahead of last year's timeline for the Sotomayor process, adding: "We would certainly expect that a hearing can happen and a vote can happen before the Senate goes home in August."