IN DEFENSE OF ASSIMILATION: As Rich Lowry writes, Tom Brokaw “didn’t understand that assimilation is now a third rail of American politics.”

He caused a furor with comments on the venerable Sunday news program Meet the Press over the weekend, including, most controversially, his statement that he believes “that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation.”

The condemnations were swift and sweeping and a sign that being a beloved media figure who has never before said anything that could legitimately be considered bigoted is no defense when the furies descend.

It was Presidential Medal of Freedom to white hood in one sound bite. A group called Latino Victory hit Brokaw for allegedly giving “credence to white supremacist ideology.”

Typically, his apologies were deemed insufficient and part and parcel of the original offense.

Let’s stipulate that using a definite article to refer to any minority group will always strike people as tone-deaf, but what Brokaw was getting at — the importance of assimilation to cultural cohesion — should be uncontroversial.

It isn’t anymore. The head of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists rejected the very idea of assimilation, which he decried as “denying one culture for the other.” It is astonishing that in that formulation “the other” is American culture. We are perhaps the only nation in world history that has sought to “otherize” its own culture.

Read the whole thing. Naturally of course, in order to appease his fellow leftists, Brokaw didn’t dare stand his ground on Twitter, eventually either reverting to the mindset of a 15 year old, or more likely, having a young ghost-tweeter play the role of flak catcher:

Lowry doesn’t go on to note what Brokaw was given a near-complete pass for on Sunday: Tom Brokaw Claims GOPers Tell Him They’re Not Fans of ‘Brown Grandbabies.’

But if that actually happened, why doesn’t he name any names? Why would Brokaw cover for racists?