Justice Clarence Thomas

In an editorial arguing for "diversity" on the U.S. Supreme Court after the nomination yesterday of Samuel Alito, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel suggested Justice Clarence Thomas doesn't count as a black.

The daily's editorial board, lamenting the choice of a man to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, opined today: "In losing a woman, the court with Alito would feature seven white men, one white woman and a black man, who deserves an asterisk because he arguably does not represent the views of mainstream black America."

The paper said the Alito nomination is "troubling" because "it's liable to divide America" and "it lessens the extent to which the court mirrors the nation's rich diversity."

The editorial board said O'Connor "seems to have grown wiser about diversity as a result of her Supreme Court experience. She came to see the virtues of having a court that looks like America – doubtless a big reason she softened her opposition to affirmative action in recent years."

Last December, a conservative black group asked for an apology from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid for criticizing Thomas purportedly because he doesn't, as an African American, adhere to Democratic Party policies.

Asked about Thomas as a possible chief justice, Reid said in an NBC "Meet the Press" interview, "I think that he has been an embarrassment to the Supreme Court."

Without providing details or evidence, Reid said, "I think that his opinions are poorly written. I just don't think that he's done a good job as a Supreme Court justice."

Wendell Talley of the national leadership network of black conservatives, Project 21, responded, "Senator Reid has revealed the intolerance found on the political left for minorities who do not reside on their ideological plantation."

Talley noted Thomas "has been in the public eye for approximately 15 years and conducted himself with integrity."

"Reid seemed to be around just 15 minutes before he made a fool of himself," Talley said. "He should apologize to Justice Thomas for his comments."

Project 21 member Mychal Massie, a WND columnist, said he considered Reid's comments to be "among the boldest and most unambiguously racist public attacks since the day when lynchings were commonplace and Orval Faubus and Bull Connor openly used their political power to keep blacks down."

"The fact that Justice Thomas may become our nation's first black chief justice is a tremendous civil rights milestone, but it will be a tremendous step backward if he were undermined simply for being a black conservative," Massie said. "Not only will it hurt Justice Thomas personally, but it could stifle future generations of black Americans from expressing independent and diverse political opinions."

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