The funny thing about the Republican's attack media machine is that despite the onslaught of unsubstantiated allegations it dumps out on a daily basis, and the never-ending name-calling routine, the Noise Machine is actually afraid of its own shadow. Or more precisely, it's afraid to offend, or even gently critique, its mighty leaders.

And so nearly a full day after disgraced Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich labeled Sonia Sotomayor a “racist,” and after it became a very big deal, the silence throughout the right-wing media blogosphere about Gingrich's slur has been deafening. His “racist” attack on Sotomayor has become The Story That Cannot Be Mentioned.

Go look. It's radio silence about there. (At least from what I was seeing.) Check NRO's The Corner if you don't believe me. It's been nearly 24 hours and not a single word about Gingrich and his “racist” crack, even though writers at The Corner have posted 50-items since then. That's probably because Rush Limbaugh had already called Sotomayor a racist (as have other on-air right-wingers), and so if anyone from the conservative movement called out Gingrich for his ill-advised attack, they'd also be calling out Limbaugh, which, as we all know, is simply not allowed inside the lemming-like Noise Machine.

Or go read Rick Moran, who's blogged extensively about the Sotomayor pick. At first, Moran insisted Republicans would never play dirty in their opposition to the POTUS pick:

It should go without saying that attacks of the kind initiated by Democrats against Republican nominees will not be forthcoming.

Moran also wrote:

I only hope the GOP doesn't embarrass itself by attacking her for something besides what she's said in public and her court opinions.

You mean embarrass itself by having high-profile GOP talkers call Sotomayor a “racist”? To date, Moran has not written one word about the smear that Limbaugh and Gingrich have unfurled and proudly wave around. Or maybe Moran agrees that Sotomayor is a racist?

The truth is, two of today's highest profile Republican media mouth pieces are on the record calling the new POTUS pick a racist, but almost nobody else within the world of right-wing online media will say boo about it. I can't find examples of pundits cheering Gingrich on for making the “racist” slap, and I sure can't find many example of conservative bloggers condemning the attack.

Why? Because the GOP Noise Machine is afraid of its own shadow.

UPDATE: Right-wing blogger Gateway Pundit has Newt's back and agrees that Sotomayor is a “racist,” which is good to know.

UPDATE: Providing the much-needed, albeit unintentional, comic relief is Flopping Aces, which, prior to Limbaugh and Gingrich calling Sotomayor a racist, was sure it was liberals who were going to play the dreaded race card. From Tuesday:

Let Obama's minions scream that it's racist or anti-women to oppose a candidate whose views toward the judiciary are rooted in the soft bigotry of a New York socialist. GOP Senators must question her closely on her view that somehow an Hispanic or a woman from the housing projects in the Bronx of New York City would make a better judge than anyone who does not come from that experience.

Those nutty liberals were going to cry racism, Flopping Aces was sure. But when Limbaugh and Gingrich did it instead, Flopping Aces knew to keep quiet.