Opinion In Brief

"Every time a Democrat senator has talked during the Senate hearings on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor ... I felt lousy about my country. Not for the usual reasons when a Democrat talks, but because Democrats revel in telling us what a racist country this is. Interestingly, the Democrats' examples of ethnic prejudice did not include Clarence Thomas, whose nomination hearings began with the Democrats saying, 'You may now uncuff the defendant.' Their examples did not include Miguel Estrada, the brilliant Harvard-educated lawyer who was blocked from an appellate court judgeship by Senate Democrats expressly on the grounds that he is a Hispanic -- as stated in Democratic staff memos that became public. No, they had to go back to Roger Taney -- confirmed in 1836 -- who was allegedly attacked for being a Catholic (and who authored the Dred Scott decision), and Louis Brandeis -- confirmed in 1916 -- allegedly a victim of anti-Semitism. ... Alas, today Democrats can't really place Estrada -- James Carville confuses him with that other Hispanic, Alberto Gonzales. On MSNBC they laugh about his obscurity, asking if he was the cop on 'CHiPs.' They also can't recall the name 'Anita Hill.' Nor can anyone remember African-American Janice Rogers Brown or what the Democrats did to her. Only the indignities suffered by Justices Taney and Brandeis still burn in liberal hearts!" --columnist Ann Coulter