[Sam the Sham]

The "strategery" behind this has been incompetent.

I have read arguments that Miers was expected to be an easy confirmation and was chosen for that reason. Why ? The Democrats could not accurately argue that Roberts did not have the qualifications to belong on the court. They did not like his positions but they couldn't sell that as reason enough to vote against him. So half the Democrats had to ignore their activists and confirm him.

It cannot be argued that Miers is a brilliant legal scholar with the qualifications to be on the court. So the Democrats have a superb argument to make to moderate voters for not confirming her.

[Otho]

If Brownback is against her she may not get out of the Judiciary Committee. I predict that before that she'll ask Bush to withdraw her nomination.

So we'll get a more qualified, conservative nominee. Who will be filibustered. Will Frist then go for the Nuclear Option and will there be the 50 votes for it?

[editor-surveyor]

"It cannot be argued that Miers is a brilliant legal scholar with the qualifications to be on the court"

Nonsequiter. - "brilliant legal scolars" are exactly what we have to keep off the court. Souter, and Breyer were considered brilliant legal scolars. That's where extra-constitutional decisions come from. We need some ordinary people with ordinary minds to read the plain language of the constitution and make decisions based therein.

[nerdgirl]

From what I've read, people promoting the brilliant stealth "strategery" theory are of the mindset that liberals will be jumping for joy to confirm her because they think she's way better than anything else that could have (and should have) come down the pike - only to find out later that they've made a grave mistake.

[Graymatter]

The President needs somebody to cave in and go along with a nomination. Either the RINOs with a conservative nomination or the conservatives with a "consensus" choice. I think he looked at it and decided that the RINOs have allies whereas the conservatives---well, they always surrender. Witness the Ginsburg nomination.
Plus I think he's a moderate himself, when he's not campaigning.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

It cannot be argued that Miers is a brilliant legal scholar with the qualifications to be on the court.

Quite right as you'd then have to argue that Johnny Cochran and F. Lee Baily are good choices. There's not even a shred of evidence Meirs and the U.S. Constitution were ever in the same room.