Senator Graham says Sotomayor is no racist

Stating flatly that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is no racist, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) gave a clear indication that the first Hispanic nominee for the Court will have smooth sailing in the Senate, even from Republicans.

According to The Hill, Graham provided this interesting exchange which depicts his clear-as-mud thinking on this issue:

Asked if he agreed with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh that Sotomayor is a racist, the South Carolina Republican said he disagreed.

No, they interject themselves in the debate. They have got an audience to entertain and Newt is a political commentator. I’m a United States senator,” Graham said on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace. “I don’t think she’s a racist. She should be proud of what she has accomplished in life.”

Earlier, the senator highlighted comments from a speech Sotomayor gave in 2001 that suggested that she, a Latina women, would make a better judge than a white man because of her life experiences. Graham said the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit judge should retract that statement.

“What she said was that based on her life experiences she thought that a Latina woman, somebody with her background, would be a better judge than a guy like me, a white guy from South Carolina. It is troubling,” Graham said. “It’s inappropriate and I hope she will apologize.”
 

Senator, what, exactly, should Sotomayor apologize for if her statement was not racist?

As it has been pointed out by countless pundits since Sotomayor's nomination, had a white male stated that the rich experiences of being a Caucasian male make a Judge more qualified to render wise decisions on the Court than, say, a Mexican female, that person would be denounced, condemned, vilified, and hanged in effigy for being 'racist.'  Yet because such a statement was made about white males by a Latina female, the inherent racism gets a pass.  The double-standard in this case is nothing less than shocking in that it is blatant, in-your-face, and accepted without apology by the Left and its mouthpieces in the mainstream media.

It would appear as though Graham's Senate mentor, John McCain, has taught him well.  Avoid holding the Left and the Democratic Party accountable for their outrageous hypocrisy on a variety of subjects, and serve as enablers for the agenda of liberals.  In short, roll over and play dead...which is why the voters got a case of the sour stomach after watching the GOP capitulate in this manner to every principle it has historically disavowed.

Graham was not alone among the GOP sell-outs:

Graham was joined by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) in disagreeing with Gingrich and Limbaugh on their belief that Sotomayor is a racist.

“I disagree with them. This is a process where you have a individual that is intelligent, well-educated and has an extensive record. She deserves a full and fair hearing,” Romney said. “We will have a chance to hear what she has to say.”
 

Governor, the issue is not her 'intelligence' or her education, and not even her 'extensive record.'  The issue is her judicial philosophy as articulated in her numerous speeches and depicted in her unfortunate decisions from the bench, such as claiming that the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights is not actually an individual right, that white males who outperform minorities should not receive promotions, and that free speech is dispensable when it is deemed inconvenient, such as the case where she ruled against a blogger. 

RINO Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania chimed in on Sotomayor, praising her as an 'unbiased judge':

Sotomayor was defended by the newest Democrat in the Senate, Arlen Specter (Pa.). Specter cited the judge’s “extraordinary record” — 17 years on the bench and superb academic credentials with degrees from Princeton and Yale — as evidence that she is an unbiased judge.

“I think it is fair to ask her about the question but she has a long, solid record that shows she is fair and not biased,” Specter said.
 

This statement alone shows that Specter cannot be taken seriously and will probably be defeated in his Senate re-election bid, even as a Democrat.  And if Pennsylvania voters can't conjure up the moral courage to oust him, then perhaps they are one step away from becoming the next California.

The bottom line?  Sotomayor is going to sail to confirmation with minimal opposition from the GOP.  And the conservative opposition she gets will be overwhelmed by the Leftwing majority and the faux-Republicans who will enable them.

For more commentary on a variety of issues, please visit my blog, updated daily, at The Liberty Sphere.