Sotomayor's Offensive "Latina" References

Sonia Sotomayor's most offensive comments -- and she's made -- plenty deal with her self-portrayal as a "Latina" whose Latina-ness somehow makes her superior to those less fortunate creatures known as "white males." She has made a career out of emphasizing her Puerto Rican roots. If they are truly so important to her, then why isn't she a candidate for the Puerto Rican Supreme Court. If she's not an American first, then why on earth is she seeking a lifetimes appointment in a country with more than its share of "lesser breeds without the law" (Kipling), such as Whites, Blacks, and Asians of both genders?

There is a lot more at stake for this country than whether the Republicans win in 2010 and even 2012. We won't win anything unless America finally decides what it wants to be when it grows up.

Republicans alone -- remember Arlen Specter, remember Olympia Snowe? -- are not enough. I remember a month ago when Senatorial Campaign head John Cornyn was backing Arlen Specter, then a Republican, because, well, "we generally support incumbents, blah, blah, blah." I thought at the time, John does not get it all all, does he? Then he rushed to support Charlie Crist, an Arlen-Specter in waiting.

If Republicans are just a grumpier, better tanned version of the Democrats, who needs them? If Sarah Palin were just a younger, more attractive version of McCain, which of us would be supporting her?

We have to be Americans; I prefer Audie Murphy and Katharine Jenerette and Sarah Palin types. The Republican Party will endure (remember the Whigs? Or the Federalists? Or The Bull Moose Party?) as long as it helps us support American values and great candidates (no, not "incumbents"). Arlen Specter's main problem wasn't that he was a less-than-stellar Republican; rather, it was that he was not -- and is not -- much of an American.

Those of us who believe in the real America, may end up going down -- heck, that's not unprecedented. But perhaps it would be better if we went down with guns blazing . . . rather than trolling for Hispanic voters more comfortable with waving Mexican flags than singing "God Bless America."

I just looked up one of my favorite quotes from James Madison, one of those "Founding Fathers" Sotomayor claimed to respect the other day. Gee, I wonder how she would like this quote from the man known as "the father of the Constitution":

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce.... The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State." (Madison, The Federalist, Number 45.)

The other day at a congressional hearing, Michelle Bachmann kept grilling Geithner about what was the constitutional authority for all the handouts, bailouts, and takeovers the government was doing. Geithner's response was to look at her as if she were from another planet.