In a lengthy message posted on his Web site today, Newt Gingrich apologizes for calling Judge Sonia Sotomayor a “racist" over her comment that a "wise Latina woman" could reach a better decision than "a white male who hasn't lived that life." Here’s Gingrich:

My initial reaction was strong and direct -- perhaps too strong and too direct.  The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor’s fitness to serve on the nation’s highest court have been critical of my word choice. With these critics who want to have an honest conversation, I agree.  The word “racist” should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person, even if her words themselves are unacceptable (a fact which both President Obama and his Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, have since admitted).

That's not to say the former House Speaker is suddenly on the Sotomayor bandwagon. In the message, Gingrich cites the Sotomayor's ruling against the New Haven firefighters as a case where "equal justice for Americans" did not prevail. In other words, Gingrich is not callling her a "racist" but he's suggesting race played a role in her decision-making. He defends his believe that Sotomayor is a "radical" based on her various speeches and writings that she's delivered off the bench in recent years. However, Gingrich concedes, “many of her rulings as a court of appeals judge do not match the radicalism of her speeches and statements.  She has shown more caution and moderation in her rulings than in her words.”

All of this comes days after many Republicans were critical of Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh for using incendiary language about President Obama's Supreme Court nominee. Here's what your Gaggler is wondering: Did someone lean on Gingrich to dial back his words?