well, actually I basically agree with you. I would rather his qualifications be trumpeted for all to see. I don't want to set a standard where white conservatives don't get picked for judges. Or where Estrada gets "bonus points" for being Hispanic.
It would be hard to be more qualified than he is...
from Scott Darnell's article
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/850657/posts President Bush appointed him to an open seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals, District Columbia Circuit on May 9, 2001; he immigrated to the United States from Honduras when he was 15 years old, graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude in 1986, has been a clerk for a Supreme Court justice, an assistant U.S. attorney and the assistant solicitor general, among other stints in private practice. He is supported by many national organizations, including the Hispanic Business Council, the Heritage Foundation, the Washington Legal Foundation and the Hispanic Business Roundtable.
So he's highly qualified and should be confirmed. There are others appointed by Carter and Clinton who had Estrada's same judiciary experience, zero, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Patrick Leahy, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said, from Congressional record in 1998, that, "I have stated over and over again . . . that I would object and fight any filibuster on a judge, whether it is somebody I opposed or supported."
This is the hypocracy that bothers me.
But, yes, I would rather see Estrada be approved for his qualifications. Or opposed because of a lack of qualifications. I wouldn't support someone BECAUASE they were a certian race, and I wouldn't oppose someone BECAUSE they were a certain race.
This is the hypocracy that bothers me. The hipocracy that bothers me is 'we are going to nominate the first Hispanic judge and the democrats are opposing him because he isn't liberal enough and THEY are practicing racial politics? Now that needs to be read again.
But, yes, I would rather see Estrada be approved for his qualifications. Or opposed because of a lack of qualifications. I wouldn't support someone BECAUASE they were a certian race, and I wouldn't oppose someone BECAUSE they were a certain race.
But you see, the Democrats are not opposing him because of his race - but his politics - we are touting him and everyone can just swear all they want to - but we know he was nominated because he was Hispanic (whatever in the heck that is). He was. To the President that was one of his qualifications and to say the Democrats oppose his politics and therefore they are racists - is just a little strange.
I don't want anyone nominated or opposed because of his/her race. I don't want anyone nominated or opposed because it will bring more of his/her 'people' (whatever that is) into the policial party. Those are both destructive reasons.
So if the Republicans don't want the world to see their actions as racist - then stop playing racial politics. I didn't make any of this stuff up.