Suddenly The Weekly Standard is in favor of identity politics?

Coming in the wake of the Sotomayor hearings this development is especially confusing. Conservative media outlets have been emphatic that identity politics, especially when practiced by African-Americans and Hispanics, is abhorrent and should be avoided at all costs.

Yet when a pro-business African-American appeared before Congress and called a prominent Democrat a racist, The Weekly Standard, as well as the rest of the right-wing blogosphere, cheered. They seemed to want to see more identity politics like that.

Suddenly it's a good thing for a minority, when pressed with tough questions, to complain that his questioner is being “racial.” It's a good thing when Harry Alford, CEO of the pro-business National Black Chamber of Commerce, who was invited by Republicans to testify against environment legislation, exploded during a rather pedestrian give-and-take with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Confusing times, indeed.

UPDATED: Did we mention how Bizarro World this sudden love of minority identity politics is from the right-wing during a week when we saw attacks on Sotomayor that didn't even try to mask ugly racial stereotypes?

Justice Malaprop? [Ed Whelan]

Judge Sotomayor says “eminent” when she means “imminent,” “providence” instead of “province,” “story of knowledge” instead of “store of knowledge,” and so on. Does the fact that she is a Latina immunize her from attention to that sort of (admittedly not uncommon) foible?

UPDATED: RedState, of all places, is suddenly deeply concerned about “racism” in politics. Who knew?

UPDATED: State classy Jawa Report, that bastion of racial sensitivity:

Senator Assmaggot Gets Bitchslapped