Newt: Maybe 'Racist' Was A Strong Word For This Racist Lady

Twitter has proven to be the most crippling public relations device in history, allowing Republicans to instantaneously and embarrassingly freak out about their distinguished resumes and secret candidacies for Attorney General and, most recently, how the first Hispanic nominee for the Supreme Court is a terrible racist. Now Newt Gingrich says maybe he shouldn't have put it in such inartful terms, but seriously dudes, this gal ... RACIST MUCH???

He writes an article to clarify why he was kind of a dick about Judge Sotomayor, but not without cause:

My initial reaction was strong and direct -- perhaps too strong and too direct. The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor’s fitness to serve on the nation’s highest court have been critical of my word choice.

With these critics who want to have an honest conversation, I agree. The word “racist” should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person, even if her words themselves are unacceptable (a fact which both President Obama and his Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, have since admitted).

Well OK, Newt! Bygones, etc. But then he takes a bunch of quotes from Judge Sotomayor's "wise Latina" speech and shows how terribly racist they are:

Here are some excerpts from the speech (emphasis mine) [Meaning, Gingrich's -- Ed.]:

* "I further accept thatour experiences as women and people of color affect our decisions. The aspiration to impartiality is just that."

* "Whether born from experience or inherent psychological or cultural differences...our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging."

The horror, that anybody would admit that judges can only aspire to impartiality! Why, that is sort of like a journalist admitting they can only aspire to objectivity. In other words, it is a concept that absolutely enrages conservatives while it just seems like a given to other Earthlings.

The point is this: the only people who can reach judicial decisions free from the taint of racial or gender bias are people free from the taint of race or gender itself, which is to say, white males.

 Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor: You Read, You Decide [Human Events via Ben Smith ]