MIERS & LAST-MINUTE DROP-OUTS (Priscilla Owen did not withdraw her name)

National Review Online: The Corner ^ | 10-12-2005 | Kathryn Jean Lopez

[Stellar Dendrite]

MIERS & LAST-MINUTE DROP-OUTS [Kathryn Jean Lopez] A journalist friend just spoke with a top Texas lawyer who spoke with Priscilla Owen last week. He says that she "most emphatically" did not withdraw her name from consideration to the Court. If the White House spin is that Harriet Miers got the job because nobody else wanted it, it would seem that the White House is at a desperation point. Posted at 12:07 PM

[BIRDS]

It's not in the Constitution that a S.C. judge has to even have judicial experience, and, a lot of people find it appealing that someone would serve on the S.C. who does not have a "career" as a judge behind him or her.

The fact that Miers has worked as an attorney in the private and public sectors is appealing in a unique capacity.

[untrained skeptic]

Wow, Dobson is a spokesman for the Whitehouse? I never knew.

I suppose that the Whitehouse goes and sticks words in his mouth and he can't think for himself either.

Anything smart or stupid he says is just the product of the Whitehouse, and obviously not comments of his own.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Dobson is backtracking as fast as he can.

Not that it will do him any good.

The damage to his reputation has already been done.

Face it, the Miers nomination has been a public relations fiasco from the start.

[kittymyrib]

Both Owen and Brown strike me as women who would relish a fight for nomination and could handily take anything Chuckie Schumer and Bloviating Biden would dish out. That's because they are bright, battle-hardened, and experienced. They are not afraid to be compared to John Roberts, which is one of the reasons that lesser affirmative action choices are loathe to be nominated this go-around. But these outstanding conservative women weren't named by this President. Why?

[Les_Miserables]

Yep, laughable if it weren't such an important move for our country, and her supporters are offering only platitudes and pleas to have faith. Whadda Gal! This "laughable" debate could have been avoided by Bush nominating someone with a track record. Then we could debate the value of that record instead of the value of not having a record....damage is done.

[Les_Miserables]

And I still don't know more about her than was known the first 15 minutes after her nomination was announced..

[untrained skeptic]

Dobson is human. He's made mistakes before and he will make them again. Few people will seriously judge him just by this.

[caffe]

I don't think the National Review has low merit............This conservative think tank ACTUALLY HAS A RECORD. They actually followed up , and will probably be reporting more on the spin that all these qualified nominees dropped out, with facts. I'm sure people are on the case right now. It is my prayer that these potentional nominees actually sign a document stating they did not remove their name from the President's list. I think it was insulting to use Owens or Brown and others to defend the Miers travesty. it's like saying "Oh, these highly qualified, experienced judges just could'nt handle Ted K, Joe B. or Dirty Harry." I also read somewhere that the White House said some withdrawls were made from the longer list - not the shorter list. Again, if Dobson was deceived by the language skills of Rove and there is absolute proof of it, Dobson will withdraw his support. I think he's totally regreting it right now.Can't wait to hear Hugh Hewitt's spin on this or will he also say "pull her"....

[Graymatter]

The conclusion I'm drawing is that Judge Owen was not on the short list in the first place, thus she was not one of those rumored to have withdrawn their names (or failed the background check).
I can certainly believe she wasn't on the short list. She's a conservative.

[Graymatter]

Priscilla Owen is a quality candidate.
Harriet Miers is a crony candidate.

If she was the only one left standing after the others demurred, we may add:
Harriet Miers is the default candidate.

The "faute de mieux" candidate as we say in Canarsie.

[Graymatter]

"I heard from a friend of a friend of Priscilla Owen" is a more appropriate start to an urban legend than a news story.

I heard it on a blog, poster's name "Choking Doberman."

[RichInOC]

:-D )))

[Sloth]

You guys have aggressively argued that we should not "trust" George Bush, yet now we're supposed to "trust" this? It's a sure sign this isn't about trust but something much deeper

For one, the White House says the same thing: "Bush had emphasized to his aides, however, that he wanted to nominate a woman or minority. Federal appellate Judge Priscilla Owen had been under serious consideration and, an administration official said, was willing to endure another fight, after surviving a Democrat-led filibuster of her nomination to the New Orleans-based federal appeals court. She did not withdraw her name from consideration, the official said."

For another, at least K-Lo's friend of a friend of a friend hasn't ever lied to us. Bush, on the other hand, has earned distrust.

[Dajjal]

BTTT

[Gondring]

..and letting the country see the lefties attacking a qualified candidate, proving they put their ideology above country.