W.H. concedes Sotomayor misspoke

[masuki bance]

By: Josh Gerstein and Carol E. Lee
May 29, 2009 03:50 PM EST
The White House moved Friday to try to tamp down a swirling controversy over a 2001 speech in which Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor suggested that Hispanic women make better judges than white men.

“I think she’d say that her word choice in 2001 was poor,” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at a daily briefing. “She was simply making the point that personal experiences are relevant to the process of judging, that your personal experiences make you—have a tendency to make you more aware of certain facts in certain cases, that your experiences impact your understanding.”

“I think we all agree with that. And that on a court that's collegial…that it can help others that are trying to wrestle with the facts of those cases,” he said.

Gibbs was clearly prepared for questions about the remark, which some Sotomayor critics have seized on to call her a racist. The president’s spokesman lashed out at some of the critics and read quotes he had with him on the podium in which justices Samuel A. Alito and Ruth Bader Ginsburg described how their backgrounds informed their work as judges.

Sotomayor’s provocative comment came in a lengthy address she gave to a University of California, Berkeley conference on Latinos in the judiciary.

“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 Sotomayor, whose parents came from Puerto Rico.

However, some Democrats and political strategists told POLITICO Thursday that the White House needed to do more to tamp down the flap over the remarks. Some observers said Sotomayor herself should speak out, while others said the White House or a senator who might speak with her could clarify her earlier comments.

On Friday, Gibbs seemed to take some of that advice by dropping the out-of-context argument and walking back the judge’s use of the comparative term “better.”

“If she had the speech to do all over again, I think she’d change that word,” Gibbs said, in response to questions from POLITICO. As he concluded his briefing, Gibbs said he knew that Sotomayor has said that herself “in discussions with people.”

“With who?” reporters asked.

“People that have talked to her,” Gibbs said as he left the briefing room.
...
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=8D991B36-18FE-70B2-A8CF6AE2B2A915EC

Why start apologizing?

[geek tragedy]

1. Get it out of the way.

Friday news dump. Starve the one talking point they have of oxygen.

[NYC_SKP]

2. Sotomayor is in.

This is just all so much political background noise.

[DURHAM D]

3. Good greif.

The White House, Obama, and the Senators are all a bunch of wusses.

Why are all these men so freightened? Man up you guys.

[ClarkUSA]

5. Um, it's called neutering the GOP by appearing reasonable while Tancredo et al are yelling about KKK

Also, President Obama, Gibbs et al are following this feint up with strong statements affirming what Sotomayor in reframed language.

[Captain Hilts]

4. On some issues, she's right. Gingberg was saying how none of the other justices could

understand the embarrassment that 13 year old girl felt when she got strip-searched in that recent case.

In some cases, she's right.

The WH should not apologize for her, she can take care of herself.

[ClarkUSA]

6. The WH did not "apologize for her" at all. She has said that herself & they reframed what she said.

As per the OP, 'Gibbs said he knew that Sotomayor has said that herself “in discussions with people.”'

[Captain Hilts]

12. Yes, they did.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8440201

[ClarkUSA]

13. Quote? Where does anyone say, "I'm sorry" or "I apologize for what Judge Sotomayor said."

[LiberalFighter]

7. Who was the scumbag reporter that ask the question about her remarks?

And why the hell were the words a poor choice?

If she said a latino woman would make better decisions than a white man then that would be different.

What they have done is word item veto version of line item veto with her words.

[masuki bance]

8. You're upset at a reporter asking a question

or in the response?

Both?

[LiberalFighter]

18. The reporter questioning something that didn't happen

The reporter excising the content to fit their preferred question

[BeyondGeography]

9. "Some Democrats and political strategists told POLITICO ..."

The usual suspects...STFU.

[Bad Thoughts]

10. I would like to think ...

... Gibbs would educate the Press (if not public) on the subjunctive.

[JimGinPA]

11. I'm Still Waiting For This OP's First Positive Post About Any Democrat...

Nothing but concern from this one...

[jefferson_dem]

15. I've noted the same pattern...

Hmmm...

[FrenchieCat]

14. FUCK Politico!

That's what I say!

[JimGinPA]

17. + A Brazillion

[depakid]

16. I actually kind of like that remark from a strategic perspective

It's bound to inflame the "angry white guys" who can't help but holler about it.

[centristgrandpa]

19. No bAlls...

gee, what a surprise, the demo's canned another statement...because them repubs voiced dismay...(question) "what happens when the demo's get the majority", answer; :nopity: