A Little Consistency?

Pat Buchanan argues,

Listen, it certainly is. Look at her own words in "The New York Times," from the tapes. It's in "The New York Times," June 11th. She said, "I'm an affirmative action baby." ... I got into Princeton on affirmative action. I got into Yale. I didn't have the scores that these other kids did.

How did she get on Yale law review? Affirmative action. How did she get on the federal bench by Moynihan? Moynihan needs a Hispanic woman just like Barack Obama needs a Hispanic woman.

That is not the criteria we ought to use, Rachel.

He later argues,

I would-I think the Republicans had an outstanding Latino who had outstanding grades, who was brilliant and was gutted, Miguel Estrada.

Estrada's résumé seems quite similar to Sotomayor's - that is to say, both attended top schools, made law review, graduated with honors, worked as government attorneys.... Beyond his being conservative and male, why does Buchanan give Estrada the benefit of the doubt in relation to his qualifications while attributing all of Sotomayor's achievements to affirmative action?