[Dat Mon]

YOU SAID...."I still see the Miers nomination as a battle between social conservatives and neo-conservatives."

I dont agree with your characterizations of the divisions, but the important point is this...

Any strategery which ends up pitting one conservative group against another...as has already happened with this nomination on this forum..CANNOT be good for the conservative movement long term. All may be resolved...eventually...or it may not be.

The WH has rolled the dice with Meirs...which in my opinion is totally uncalled for.

[counterpunch]

It don't think its a battle between social conservatives and neo-conservatives. When this all broke a few days ago, I commented that it was going to come down as a battle between religious conservatives and Constitutional conservatives.

I think that is more accurate.
Religious conservatives are salivating at the prospect of having an Evangelical on the SCOTUS.
The conservative legal establishment is pissed that Bush injected his religious crusade right into the middle of their turf, stealing their decades long hard fought victory for himself.

I have to say the Constitutional conservatives are correct here, and Bush doesn't seem to get it that he is destroying the GOP. The judicial conservatives are a significant block of the Republican party, and they are about a lot more than just Roe v. Wade. It is an intellectual movement, and Bush should have not messed with their turf. This move, if left uncorrected could permanently fracture the party.