Rush … taken out of context … is labled a racist.

This was just too much to pass up. Former New York State Supreme Court Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder is asked to comment on comments made by Rush Limbaugh in which Limbaugh calls Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a reverse racist. Limbaugh was referring to two comments attributed to Judge Sotomayor … in which she claims her background as a Latino Latina (sorry, my Spanish is way rusty) woman makes her better able to make decisions than “a white male.” Hmmmmm. From the NY Times by the way.

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” said Judge Sotomayor, who is now considered to be near the top of President Obama’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

The second is a comment that Sotomayor made at a legal seminar which you can watch here, saying “court is where policy is made.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfC99LrrM2Q

That’s when Fox turns to Judge Snyder for a reaction … and of course Snyder doesn’t disappoint.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3V-nxED8Jw

Ironically … it’s Rush being taken out of context here … but Snyder is all too willing to jump to Sotomayor’s defense with the “taken out of context defense.” Furthermore … she calls Rush a racist without offering any evidence whatsoever of racism on Rush’s part. “The most racist person she knows.”? Hmmm … she better be prepared to back that one up … which she can’t … because its my guess … she does not listen. Once again… the knee jerk and may I say, safe reaction from the left.

Update: Here is the full clip of what Judge Sotomayor had to to say in reference to ” the court is where policy is made.” I am not sure it makes a difference. Perhaps an attorney out there would like toi comment below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug-qUvI6WFo

Update 2: I did not read this, this morning, but it bears mention here. The New Republic did a piece on Sotomayor three weeks ago … and while it points out her strong qualities as a judge … the criticism apparently was uniform by people who worked on the 2nd Circuit.

The most consistent concern was that Sotomayor, although an able lawyer, was “not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench,” as one former Second Circuit clerk for another judge put it. “She has an inflated opinion of herself, and is domineering during oral arguments, but her questions aren’t penetrating and don’t get to the heart of the issue.” (During one argument, an elderly judicial colleague is said to have leaned over and said, “Will you please stop talking and let them talk?”) Second Circuit judge Jose Cabranes, who would later become her colleague, put this point more charitably in a 1995 interview with The New York Times: “She is not intimidated or overwhelmed by the eminence or power or prestige of any party, or indeed of the media.”

TNR is the view from the left … so take it for what it’s worth. I am always hesitant to put too much stock in this kind of talk from “unnamed colleagues”. You never know who has an ax to grind. Which is why I am leaving this for the blog and not the show. But I will say, it’s worth noting. This is a lifetime appointment.

Update 3: Allah at HotAir, has the Sotomayor quote “wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences” in it’s “full context”. He also predicts Republicans will go easy on her, lest they lose votes. Agreed? Some may, but I hope some don’t.