Ramesh Ponnuru grudgingly concedes Sonia Sotomayor isn't of below-average intelligence
Written by Jamison Foser
Published
Here's Ramesh Ponnuru, trying to bring the snark:
It's also true, as Sotomayor's defenders keep saying, that Miers never served on the bench and didn't go to Ivy League schools. I am, incidentally, enjoying the spectacle of leftists who spent years saying President Bush was a moron carry on about how insane and probably racist it is for anyone to doubt the intellect of someone who went to those schools.
True, George W. Bush attended Yale and Harvard Business School. Being the son of a millionaire oilman (and later congressman, CIA director, and President) and the grandson of a Senator, both of whom attended Yale, probably had a little something to do with that - especially given that he never made the honor roll at the elite prep school his family connections got him into.
Sonia Sotomayor didn't have benefit of being a Fortunate Son like W. But that isn't the only way the comparison fails. While at his daddy's alma matter, George W. Bush compiled an academic record that led the University of Texas Law School to reject his application. While at Princeton, Sonia Sotomayor won the University's highest academic prize and graduated summa cum laude.
In summary:
George W: Attended Yale as a legacy descendant of the wealthy and powerful; compiled mediocre academic record.
Sotomayor: Worked her way from South Bronx housing projects to Princeton University's highest academic honor.
So, uh, they're a little different.
To be fair, Ponnuru did concede that Sotomayor is of at least average intelligence:
For whatever it's worth, I am perfectly willing to assume that Sotomayor's IQ is north of 100.
Mighty generous of him, don't you think?