At least according to Paul Beston:

I was all set to turn off 60 Minutes last night after its first segment -- a too-brief and entirely anticlimactic interview with Condoleezza Rice -- but if I had, I would have missed a small miracle. Judge Charles Pickering finally got the public hearing he deserved, and the competence, courage, and decency of the man shined through.

If you remember back that far, Pickering was nominated by Bush to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2001. The nomination was blocked by Senate Democrats al the way though 2003. In January 2004, the President made Pickering a recess appointment. This temporary appointment will last until next year. At that point, the confirmation circus will begin again.

The amazing thing about the entire argument against Pickering is that it is based upon a false conclusion taken from his ruling in a single case and completely disregarding the specifics behind that ruling.

Pickering had a long and distinguished record in Mississippi of supporting civil rights. In the 1960s, he testified against the Ku Klux Klan at significant risk to himself and his family. He sent his children to integrated schools when all-white private school options were available. He successfully defended a young black man wrongfully accused of a crime against a white girl. And he was widely respected by the black citizens of Mississippi, including those who knew him professionally.

But the Democrats seized on a decision he made in a 1994 cross-burning case -- in which he advocated a reduced sentence for one of the defendants – to argue that he was "racially insensitive." As with so many of such charges, the Democrats were employing half-truths devoid of context. Pickering had good reason to argue for the reduced sentence, as explained here. (A followup is here).

If you are not familliar with the case, I highly recommend you follow both of the links provided in the quote above. Also, you owe it to yourself to read the entire Beston article. You might also want to check this out: 60 Minutes: Judge Pickering Denies Racism. I'm not positive, but I believe this is the official transcript from the segment.

Last but certainly not least, here are what others bloggers have to add regarding Pickering and 60 minutes: