Correction appended
Though Judge Sonia Sotomayor probably now wishes she'd never said it, I'm actually quite confident 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."
A wise Latina woman certainly handled last week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearings more honorably than a rabblerousing passel of aging, possibly racist white men.
While the Bronx-born jurist just smiled serenely and took copious notes, Sen. Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions of Alabama essentially asked if Sotomayor and fellow 2nd Circuit judge Jose Cabranes shared the same view of gun rights because they are both "of Puerto Rican descent."
As Sotomayor sat quietly and oozed dignity, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma aped I Love Lucy's Cuban star, Desi Arnaz -- adopting an exaggerated Hispanic accent, pointing his finger at the judge and taunting "You've got some 'splaining to do!"
And as the Supreme Court nominee was careful to cite her sources and offer measured legal evidence of the claims she made, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina used his allotted time to characterize Sotomayor as a firebrand bully, backing it up with the oh-so-ironclad testimony of anonymous sources.
White men, calm down.
Judge Sotomayor's worldview was undoubtedly shaped by her gender and ethnic background. But I'm sure it was equally shaped by yours.
It's impossible to come of age in this country without an encyclopedic knowledge of the white man's America.
Even those who are not white or male know the unspoken benefits that come with it. I'm a white man, and I still know it isn't right.
White men can be confident they will receive equal pay for equal work. White men can wear what they like without the worst among us viewing it as an invitation to rape them. White men can obtain a promotion or gain entrance to a prestigious university without anyone questioning if it's only their race or gender that got it for them.
I'm sure Sonia Sotomayor is well aware of what it's like to be a white man in America.
Every American is.
What makes her nomination to the Supreme Court so crucial -- just like the nominations of people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O'Connor and Thurgood Marshall before her -- is that hers is a voice and perspective that white men have shown themselves perfectly willing to ignore unless it is shoved in their faces.
It's irrelevant if Sotomayor thinks she possesses "better" judgment than a white man. At the Supreme Court, she will be one humble justice in a nine-member group -- with six white men.
And the court will certainly be "better" for her input, better because she can come to an analysis that takes into account the life of a "wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences," not just America's baseline definition of normal: the life of a white man.
And Jeff, Tom and Lindsey, it will be OK.
Being Latina and in power doesn't make white men less interesting or necessary to the debate.
Simply being different and being proud of it is not a tacit admission of racism. Diversity is not the opposite of patriotism or open-mindedness.
Sotomayor's Puerto Rican heritage does not mean that Jennifer Lopez movie marathons or the sweet sounds of Menudo will suddenly invade the court any more than Ginsburg's Clinton-era appointment made 1993 the Year of the Latke.
America has always been a land that has understood that adding different voices makes the whole conversation more meaningful.
We work best when we ignore the melting pot in favor of the tossed salad model; we soar instead of sputter only when we realize diversity is not a dirty word.
Maybe this wise Latina woman I know can teach us.
Correction: This column incorrectly states an incident involving Sen. Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions and Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Sessions asked Sotomayor about racial preferences.
