11 seconds ago 2009-11-10T01:30:27-08:00
Time will tell if Republicans have damaged their standing with Hispanic Americans by continuing to press Sotomayor on her now-famous "wise Latina" comment -- even after she backed down from it.
When Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. brought up the now-famous "wise Latina" comment, Mary Hernandez groaned: "Oh no." Hernandez, a past president of the Hispanic National Bar Association, was sitting in the VIP section. Her row was occupied by other past presidents of that group -- Republicans, Democrats and others -- which has endorsed Sotomayor's confirmation.
"He's raised it so many times," Hernandez whispered. "If that's the only thing that they have to raise against her, it's just very telling what a stellar jurist she is. I'd just wish they'd get beyond that question," she added, declining to say what this line of questioning revealed to her about the GOP.
"They just keep beating a dead horse," added Carlos Ortiz, another past president sitting next to Hernandez, echoing comments made by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. "They should stop already."
-Laurie Kellman, AP reporter, Congress
