Andrew Rosenthal - editorial page editor of the New York Times - has no concept of shame, willing to bend any and all subjects to his favorite: supporting massive and illegal immigration. Just the latest instance comes in "San Patricio" (nytimes.com/2010/03/17/opinion/17wed4.html):

On this day of all days in the Irish-American calendar, when ethnic pride swells, let’s raise a toast: Here’s to the Irish, and here’s to the rest of us. May we never forget where we came from. Nearly all of us were Mexicans once. That is: the new immigrants, poor and reviled, propelled by hope and hunger into America’s prickly embrace.

Please see the immigration tradition fallacy page for why that's wrong.

What brings this juxtaposition to mind is “San Patricio,” a new album from Paddy Moloney of the great Irish traditionalist band the Chieftains. It commemorates a historical footnote: the San Patricio battalion of Irish-immigrant soldiers who deserted the United States Army and fought for Mexico in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. They picked the losing side, were captured, executed or branded as traitors, and then forgotten, except by Mexicans... ...[promotes a song] sung in Spanish by the Mexican supergroup Los Tigres del Norte...

1. I'm not familiar with that historical event and knowing more might change my mind, but the idea of deserters doesn't exactly reflexively fill me with ethnic pride.

2. In a war of some kind with Mexico - not necessarily involving declared hostilities - one wonders whose side many U.S. citizens of Mexican origin would decide to be on. It's difficult to imagine many Mexican citizens in the U.S. - whether legally or not - siding with the U.S. And, the other things that the establishment isn't in favor of - such as assimilation - isn't exactly helping that. Rosenthal probably didn't intend to raise such questions in peoples' minds, but hopefully he did.

3. In addition to thinking that his readers are useful idiots, Rosenthal is himself a useful idiot. Do a find here for Tigres del Norte to read about another of their songs, which includes:

Let me remind the Gringo
That I didn’t cross the border, the border crossed me
America was born free – man divided her
They drew the line so we had to jump it
And they call me the invader

Based on my long experience with people like Rosenthal, they don't consider statements like that to be hostile but rather just a charming expression of "ethnic pride".