A little different take than the Donner Party faithful are spouting.......
Democrats have the research to show that perhaps as many as 10 million Democrats are part of the so called Religious right.
The media for some strange reason believes the Religious Right only consists of Republicans. That is not true. Perhaps more than half the Religious Right are economic liberals and registered Democrats. Abortion and gay rights are overriding issues with the religious right and they know it is in the hands of the Supreme Court.
It was to a great extent the loss of Religious Democrats in the rural counties of Ohio that cost Kerry the Presidency. ] P>I find it interesting that Leahy went off the reservation to support Roberts while Reid trashed Roberts. On this nominee Reid will support Meirs while Leahy trashes her. That appears to be called playing to the base or CMA for short.
What the president did was what many thinking conservatives were proposing in the last years of the Bush 41 administration. Republican presidents were to appoint stealth conservatives to the Bench. To prevent further Souters they should appoint people whose beliefs are known to the president but not to the media, or the political class. That is the definition of stealth candidate.
With both the media and the Democrats allied against any Republican nominee, the need to nominate stealth candidates that can be confirmed is required to achieve success.
By definition a stealth candidate is one the President knows all about, no one in the media, the right, the left, or the center has any real knowledge.
The mistake with Souter is Bush 41 took Warren Rudmans opinion. Bush on the other hand has taken his own opinion.
I am certain that the President has had Miers in mind for years.
I was amused by the story that Bush never discussed abortion with Miers. That reminds me of a Florida District Attorney who swore he had never discussed a case with me. What he didn't say was he sat next to me while another attorney questioned me on every aspect of the case. Yet the Attorney General could claim he had never asked me what my testimony would be before putting me on the stand. Those that think bush does not know where his trusted employee stood on cases just don't understand politics and lawyers.