Stuart Banner of Volokh writes:

We'll be hearing lots about affirmative action over the next year or so, now that the Supreme Court will decide the two Michigan cases. Listen closely to the chatter, and try to find someone whose opinion about the constitutionality of affirmative action doesn't replicate his or her opinion about the wisdom of affirmative action -- that is, someone who says either "affirmative action is a great idea, but it's a shame that the constitution doesn't permit it," or "affirmative action is a terrible idea, but the constitution allows it." Such people are very rare. One's constitutional thought has a way of closely tracking one's preferences as to outcome.

Actually, that about sums it up perfectly for me. Though I wouldn't call affirmative action a "great" idea, I've never been firmly with the conservative camp on this one. There are a lot of white people out there who would, all things being equal, hire other whites. Similarly, there are a lot of minorities who want to hire fellow minorities over whites. There is the natural tendency of people to be more comfortable with their own. Not just race-wise, but demographic-wise as well. The more you have in common with someone, the more likely you are to want to work with them. It's a fact of life. It's not going away. Affirmative action combats this.

Of course, what affirmative action really does is benefit middle-class minorities and acts to the detriment of lower-class whites. I'm the first to admit that it's not fair. But then again, it's not fair without affirmative action, either. One way or another, someone is going to get the short end of the stick.