Jewish Democratic group asks syndicate to nix Pat Buchanan's column

By Jordan Fabian - 05/17/10 04:17 PM ET

A group of Jewish Democrats wants a large newspaper syndicate to stop publishing conservative commentator Pat Buchanan's columns.
Buchanan found himself in hot water last week after he penned a piece saying that if Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is confirmed, the number of Jews on the Court will be highly disproportionate to the U.S. population.
The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) wrote a letter to Creators Syndicate asking it to take down the column and stop publishing him.
"We ask that you pull down Buchanan's latest column from your website and that you stop publishing his over-the-top, conspiratorial screeds," it reads.

In the column, titled, "Are liberals anti-WASP?", Buchanan wrote: "If Kagan is confirmed, Jews, who represent less than 2 percent of the U.S. population, will have 33 percent of the Supreme Court seats."
Several Jewish groups have long quarreled with Buchanan, accusing him of making anti-Semitic statements and being opposed to the state of Israel.
Buchanan has denied his remarks have been anti-Semitic and says he supports Israel.
Here's the letter in full:
To Creators Syndicate:

Pat Buchanan has a history of Jewish obsession and anti-Israel rhetoric. Last week, you allowed him yet again to continue his fixation with Jews, this time criticizing President Obama's pick for the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan, simply because she's Jewish.

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) and its supporters strongly condemn Buchanan's column - "Are liberals anti-WASP?"

Religion should never be a prerequisite for picking a Supreme Court nominee. Publishing Buchanan's fringe column gives him and his ideas validity. It's time to take a stand against this sort of intolerance in our country's political discourse.

We ask that you pull down Buchanan's latest column from your website and that you stop publishing his over-the-top, conspiratorial screeds.

During these challenging times, it is more important than ever that we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Help us end the practice of promoting ethnic and religious divisiveness by removing this ugly column today.