Harriet Miers and the "Pigpen" Press

[Congressman Billybob]

Several Freepers have asked me to weigh in on the Miers nomination. Some may have wanted my opinion; some may have wanted to start a fight. Both motives are genuine.

And here's my column on this subject.

John / Billybob

[Uncledave]

Good stuff John, thanks.

[Cyber Liberty]

I was wondering, but I knew you'd get to it, eventually.

Me, I'm not comfortable, but there's nothing I can do about it so I may as well hope for the best.

[Miss Marple]

Thanks, Congressman Billybob. I appreciate your thoughts more than you can know.

[inquest]

The press had made much of the opposition of the likes of Eugene Delgadio and Pat Buchanan. I know both these gentlemen who are off the reservation on the hard right. Their remaining supporters, combined, are insufficient to sway the vote of a single Republican Senator.

It's not just those two who have raised opposition. I'm hard-pressed to think of a single prominent conservative commentator who's supported this pick. This is most definitely not confined to the "fringe".

[Conspiracy Guy]

Kudos.

[LikeLight]

BTTT

[dirtboy]

I'm hard-pressed to think of a single prominent conservative commentator who's supported this pick.

That's pretty ironic, given that you are responding to a seasoned FR commentator who has argued before the Supreme Court - and he has supported this pick.

[LikeLight]

James Dobson and Chuck Colson support this pick. They don't come any more prominent than those two on the Christian Right. It's just that the Secular Right folks are not fully on board.

[oblomov]

I hope you are correct. Unfortunately, I have no judicial record to observe and thus no evidence on either side of the argument.

I am, however, uncomfortable with appearance of cronyism. There are many people more qualified than Miers with solid conservative credentials.

The decision to nominate Miers was too cute, and too calculated.

[quidnunc]

inquest wrote: I'm hard-pressed to think of a single prominent conservative commentator who's supported this pick.

What about Fred Barnes, Dr. James Dobson and Ken Starr?

What are they, chopped liver?

[confederacy of dunces]

Nice article. Thank you.

[Miss Marple]

Ken Starr supported her enthusiastically last night on Fox. He has worked with her on several legal issues, said she is quite bright and a good pick.

Support for her seems to come from people who have actually worked with her as opposed to pundits. Perhaps that is the source of the disagreement.

[SuziQ]

I'm hard-pressed to think of a single prominent conservative commentator who's supported this pick.

If you listen to their complaints, it's a combination of the fact that Miers doesn't have the DC credentials THEY think are suitable, and because they don't get to have their big battle with the Democrats that they've been wanting since Clarence Thomas.

[Dane]

It's not just those two who have raised opposition. I'm hard-pressed to think of a single prominent conservative commentator who's supported this pick. This is most definitely not confined to the "fringe"

You are correct it is the DC beltway right wing elitists from neo-con to paleocon.

DC political pundits hate her, I see that as a good sign.

[dirtboy]

I am, however, uncomfortable with appearance of cronyism. There are many people more qualified than Miers with solid conservative credentials.

IMO Bush knew he couldn't get someone like JRB through the Senate in the Group of 14 environment. And he acutely does not want another Souter. So if you want someone that doesn't present a target to the Dems for a filibuster, but want a literalist conservative who you can trust not to change their views, doesn't it make sense to pick someone you know well and trust? Souter, after all, was the pick of advisors - and Bush the Elder didn't know him at all.

[inquest]

That's pretty ironic, given that you are responding to a seasoned FR commentator who has argued before the Supreme Court - and he has supported this pick.

I'm not doubting his impressive credentials, but I think we can all agree that he's hardly a household name.

[dirtboy]

I'm not doubting his impressive credentials, but I think we can all agree that he's hardly a household name.

Ah, so that's what it's about. You need name-brand commentators to make you feel better!

I'll take the input of freepers over TV talking heads any day of the week. The talking heads first and foremost are interested in getting on TV and promoting their punditry. Freepers are interesting in beating the truth out of a story.

[auboy]

Pigpen Press. Priceless.

[inquest]

You are correct it is the DC beltway right wing elitists from neo-con to paleocon.

This is my favorite complaint Bushbots have raised. We're talking about people who've spent the last several years attacking his critics as irrelevant, even when he's gone against the views of the vast majority of the public. And now these supporters of the son of one of the most politically connected families in the country are complaining about "elitists".

You just can't make this stuff up!