Did you read the Wall St. Journal piece on what Alexander Hamilton had to say about cronyism? It is amazing he was so prescient...but then, our Founding Fathers were. Give me a minute, and I will post the quotes to you.
I have no quarrel with whether Miers is qualified or not. Hamilton's words speak to why her situation should not be allowed. This is much like JFK appointing his unqualified brother (RFK) to be Attorney General. JFK said "trust me." That is not a good precedent.
As I said...I am looking up the WSJ piece now.
Well, if Meirs is not qualified, the Renquist wasn't qualified either. He never served as a judge.
Oh, come on. Hamilton owed his position in the world to his friendship with George Washington. And you will find no one that admires Hamilton more than I.
THe constitution recognised the danger that unqualified people would be appointed because they were friends of the president.
That is why they gave the Senate advice and consent power -- so the Senate could determine the qualifications of a nominee and stop incompetent people from being placed on the bench.
The problem isn't cronyism, it is the appointment of unqualified people because of cronyism.
At the same time, the founders rejected giving the senate the right to PICK the nominees, because they wanted a single person to be held responsible for the choice and its political consequence.