In Slate’s The Political Advantage of Catholic Justices, William Saletan blames Republicans for creating a straw man of anti-Catholicism in order to cower Democrats not to oppose pro-life judges.

Republican senators took the campaign further, suggesting that criticism of judges who supported abortion restrictions was inherently anti-Catholic. Unlike the old charge of anti-Christian bigotry, anti-Catholic bigotry sounded plausible. For one thing, less than one-fourth of the U.S. adult population was Catholic. For another, Catholics have historically been excluded from high office in this country.

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If you’re pro-life, the fact that these nominees are Catholic doesn’t mean they’ll vote the way you want. But it does make it easier to label anyone who challenges their abortion writings a bigot—and to cash in that label at election time.

The author misses the point — it’s not about raising anti-Catholic hysteria but rather about cutting into a loyal base for the Democrats. Catholics are often morally conservative yet tend to vote for Democrat candidates who do not share their values. Appointing a Catholic to a high position demonstrates that Catholicism and political conservatism are compatible. The Republicans already have the vote of evangelical voters, now it’s time to bring other moral people of faith into the fold.

Five of the current Supreme Court justices are Catholic, 2 are Jewish, while the remaining 2 are non-evangelical Protestants. Is this a problem? Of course not — I am an evangelical and disagree with my Catholic brothers and sisters only in a few theological areas that are irrelevant within the context of politics. As fellow Christians, we serve the same Lord. By taking God’s commands seriously, we agree on all of the main social and cultural issues. Catholics like Leonard Leo (Executive Vice President of the Federalist Society) and evangelicals like Jay Sekulow (Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice) tirelessly work together on issues that concern all Christians. We should strive to emulate them.

We have to beware of liberals trying to divide Catholics and Protestants.  The Alito nomination will be bloody — you can count on that. The Democrats will try every trick in the book to sabotage the nomination. We need wisdom so as not to be dragged into a fight against the wrong enemy.