Bush 41 Defends Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor's nomination has gained a powerful ally to help rebut critics on the right—former President George H.W. Bush, who appointed her to the federal judiciary under his administration. Bush specifically took on attacks from some conservatives, like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh, who have described her views as "racist" or "racialist" thanks to a past comment on how a "wise Latina" might make better decisions than a white male. "I don't know her that well but I think she's had a distinguished record on the bench and she should be entitled to fair hearings," he told CNN on Friday. "And she was called by somebody a racist once. That's not right. I mean that's not fair. It doesn't help the process. You're out there name-calling. So let them decide who they want to vote for and get on with it."