A ‘Kreplach Cabal’ on Supreme Court? ADL and Pundits Hit Buchanan Column
A Patrick Buchanan column that criticizes the number of Jewish justices on the U.S. Supreme Court is provoking criticism and indignation from the Anti-Defamation League and media pundits.
Buchanan’s column, entitled “Are liberals anti-WASP?” notes that if Elena Kagan is confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, three of the court’s justices will be Jewish. “If Kagan is confirmed, Jews, who represent less than 2 percent of the U.S. population, will have 33 percent of the Supreme Court seats,” Buchanan writes. “Is this the Democrats’ idea of diversity?”
Previous stories have reported that retiring Justice John Paul Stevens is the last Protestant on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Wall Street Journal also notes the change. Its story quotes a political science professor who sees Kagan’s appointment as reflecting “the decline of the Establishment, or the WASP Establishment, in America.”
But Buchanan’s column chiding Democrats has sparked a lot of ire, partly because of his past remarks about the Jewish faith and partly because of the tone he takes. “Not in nearly half a century has a Democratic president nominated a white Protestant or white Catholic man or woman,” Buchanan says.
ADL national director Abraham Foxman issued a statement calling Buchanan’s remarks “bigoted and unacceptable,” according to a Washington Post column.
The CBS News blog Coop’s Corner also notes Buchanan’s observation, and responds with sarcasm. “Well, Katie bar the door before the kreplach cabal busts through the gates,” the blog exclaims.
