Sonja Sotomayor

Oh my.

I keep thinking I've seen the worst from the Republican spin team (Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, etc.) but the news of their accusations of racism with respect to Supreme Court nominee Sonja Sotomayor really makes me wonder how low they're willing to go? I read her comments from the 2002 speech in context ... something Coulter and crew apparently didn't do or didn't care to do. Sorry, I just don't see it, folks. Seems like she's pretty well grounded in reality to me. Certainly not a racist.

If I didn't know better, I'd think these characters were double agents. The Democrats couldn't have hoped for these three to make themselves look so ... well, ridiculous. And without any help!

Hopefully, most Republicans can see through this stuff and distance themselves from it. But I'm more doubtful than ever about the G.O.P.'s ability to re-energize itself. It won't happen anytime soon. The conservative "voice" in this country has been highjacked by these self-appointed mouthpieces and their noisy cohort on the Fox "news" crew and made to look foolish. Thoughtful and compassionate people like me in the Pro-Life movement have little hope of advancing their cause with this kind of assistance.

One bright light: Their unwise comments could do a lot to help secure a more fair hearing for Ms. Sotomayor in the Senate. One can hope.