Kagan says Pentagon recruiters had Harvard access

By DAVID ESPO AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan told her confirmation hearings on Tuesday the Pentagon's recruiters had access to Harvard Law School students "every single day I was dean," adding that she believes military service is the most important way anyone can serve the country.

In the opening moments of daylong testimony, Kagan volunteered that the only time she has cried since President Barack Obama nominated her to the high court was when she read an op-ed article praising her for her treatment of the military, a commentary written by a Marine captain and 2008 graduate of Harvard Law.

Kagan spoke in response to a question from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. His query appeared designed to pre-empt any Republican attempt to accuse her of having banned military recruiters from the campus.

The 50-year old Obama administration solicitor general appears well on her way toward confirmation as the fourth woman justice in history, barring an unexpected error of major proportions. The Judiciary Committee will vote first on her nomination, and the full Senate is expected to vote in time for her to take her place before the court begins a new term next fall.

Responding to questions from Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Kagan refused to describe her political views as "progressive in the mold" of the president who twice has appointed her to important jobs.