I fully expect him to select a liberal, and I won't care. If they fight against it he'll just select another one who will get the nod. Now if Kennedy was the one retiring....
Honestly I dont see why the person who they are replacing should have anything to do with who they choose.
If you want to move the court right, you will always choose a rightie, if left you choose a leftie... If you want to keep the court moderate, you choose a moderate.
When Kennedy retires next year, I fully expect President Obama to choose another highly qualified liberal.