Trotting out one of its few non-Cuban token Latinos, Bush sent out White House legal counsel Albert Gonzales to press the case for Estrada. He used veiled references to suggest Estrada was being filibustered for being Latino, but that line of argument got definitively slammed by the CHC:

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus issued a statement Saturday noting that Republicans have rejected Democratic Hispanic nominees in the past and said lawmakers are right to want more information about Estrada's views.

"Republicans must realize that there are other highly qualified Hispanics, who are not ashamed to discuss their views," caucus chairman Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-Texas, said.