Jay Nordlinger published an essay with conservative magazine National Review about Chief Justice Roberts that compares Roberts to Ronald Reagan. Near the beginning of the essay is this passage:

During the 1980s, Tip O’Neill and other liberals said, “We were hoping that Reagan would grow in office, but he hasn’t grown at all.” What they meant was, he had not shed his small-government principles and his hawkish views...Truth is, some conservatives lamented that he had indeed “grown” in office. He had gone out of his way to accommodate liberals and moderates, and to accommodate the Kremlin. He was raising taxes, spending like crazy, welcoming wetbacks, pursuing arms control. One common cry from the right was, “None of this would be happening if Ronald Reagan were alive.”

The comments to the essay are already breaking out in discussion over what Nordlinger meant by using the word "wetbacks." A few NR faithful (who assure us they are not racists) are saying in the comments that he meant "wetbacks" in an ironic way. But considering the fact that National Review just had a racism scandal a few months ago, I'm inclined to not give NR the benefit of the doubt on this one.

(Via McKay Coppins on Twitter.)

UPDATE 3:14 PM: In a new post, Nordlinger says he was mimicking the attitudes of conservatives during the 1980s, and so no apology is necessary. (But none of those other claims—"spending like crazy," "pursuing arms control," are time-specific, and wouldn't quotes have made the point a little bit better?) In the comments to that post is this little exchange:

BeatCal__1 writes:

Well, this Mexican-American is offended by the use of the word, "w******". [NOTE: NR's comments system doesn't allow users to use the word "wetback" because it's considered "objectionable language." Hmmmm.] Apparently, the author is not aware that the Mexican-American community perceives the "w" word the same way the African-American one does the "n" word.

Just ask Bill O'Reilly about using the "w" word in public.

I believe an apology is in order.

to which LivingTheHighLife responds:

Are you a Mexican or an American? You can't be both.

Yes, racial sensitivity is busting out all over at the National Review.