Posted on 10/12/2005 5:26:46 PM PDT by StatenIsland
WE ARE REPUBLICANS AND CONSERVATIVES who supported the election of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Today, we respectfully urge that the nomination of Harriet Miers to the United States Supreme Court be withdrawn.
The next justice of the Supreme Court should be a person of clear, consistent, and unashamed conservative judicial philosophy.
The next justice should be a person of unquestioned personal and political independence.
The next justice should be someone who has demonstrated a deep engagement in the constitutional issues that regularly come before the Supreme Court — and an appreciation of the originalist perspective on those issues.
The next justice should be a person of the highest standard of intellectual and legal excellence.
For all Harriet Miers. many fine qualities and genuine achievements, we the undersigned believe that she is not that person. An attempt to push her nomination through the Senate will only split the Republican party, damage the Bush presidency, and cast doubts upon the Court itself.
Sometimes Americans elect Republican presidents, sometimes we elect Democratic presidents. Whatever the differences between the parties, surely we can at least agree on this: Each party owes America its best. There is a wide range of truly outstanding legal talents who share the president’s judicial philosophy. We believe that on second thought President Bush can do better — for conservatism, for the Supreme Court, for America.
'...our President who is so trusting in the Lord...'
After 9/11, I recall MANY people commenting that George Bush won the 2000 election cause God knew we needed a strong President and one we could trust to protect our country. Well, I surely don't know much about Harriet Miers, but, George W. Bush knows her and .. I still trust God's judgment and I also trust George W. Bush to do what is right for America. This President deserves our support.
Possibly. As you noted earlier, there may well be hostile Republican Senators asking her tough questions. How likely do you think that would be the case if there had been no outcry from conservatives over this nomination? You know that the Repubs would just softball her all the way in that event.
Nice post -vanity.
Generally what happens is that the two sides move closer together, perhaps not meet, but agree to wait for further developments to continue the debate.
That pattern has only recently started here at FR, in the past couple of days. It's been a food fight prior to that.
I guess the food fights are easy to start and a way to blow off some steam, but they're no way to come to a reasoned conclusion that the majority of conservatives can accept.
I'm not sure we're they're yet. I expect more food fights. But I'd hope we're able to move past that. This is more important than settling old scores or arguing from a party perpsective.
I don't mind the outcry from some conservative corners. The only thing I object to is to those who have decided to reject the nomination on the very limited facts that they know, especially when they know more are coming out soon.
Even if you're right, its clearly not his first term.
And as someone else put it recently, Bush is one stubborn guy. If he was the captain of the Titanic, he'd have rammed that iceberg a second time just to show that he meant it.
Bush won't withdraw this nomination simply because some conservatives who have never met her and don't know her are critical. He's never governed by watching polls, and we won't start now.
Dream on.
"There isn't any shortage of natural gas, it's just that it's going to cost a lot more..."
What the hell's wrong with that picture? I mean, is the so-called law of supply and demand supposed to actually exist or something like that?
What I mean is, that when a town hires a new sherrif and the first thing that happens is everybody starts getting robbed by highwaymen, that new sherrif ain't gonna last too terribly long. In this case, the new sherrif is W. and the republican party, the town is the United States, and the highwaymen are gas and oil companies.
See if you can figure out what's gonna happen to republicans in November next year if this shit isn't under control in another few months...
Duh, that's why he's circulating a petition. If he had the power to block the nomination on his own, he wouldn't need a petition, now would he?
NRO has lost their mind and they are living in their own little echo chamber.
National Review is the voice of the mainstream Republican establishment. You can accuse them of a lot of things, but fringism isn't one of them.
In fact, there's no way you can spin this conservative opposition as anything other than genuine opposition. If it came from only one or two corners, you might be able to get by with a few ad hominem contraptions that you pull out of your behind (oh he's just bitter; oh he's just jealous; oh, he's just a malcontent). But when it comes from such a vast array of conservatives, guess what - you'll have to deal with the actual points they make if you want any credibility at all.
I know that you've been coddled for so long, being able to hide behind Bush's name to defend everything he does. But it's a new world now for you, now that he's taken things one step too far. Best you learn to adapt.
"Bush won't withdraw this nomination simply because some conservatives who have never met her and don't know her are critical. He's never governed by watching polls, and we won't start now. Dream on."
I never said the President would withdraw the nomination.
The point is that he's in his second term, so he can do whatever the hell he wants, without much consequence. Yeah, that's real brave, tons of courage.
That's more or less what an "outcry" is. And without it, it's rather unlikely that new facts would be forthcoming. And it raises questions as to why they weren't available in the first place.
In the meantime, what does it hurt? If we the critics are proven wrong about her, the only thing that'll suffer is our credibility. She and the President would be vindicated, as would all of their supporters. But if we're right, and we lose momentum now, that could wind up being a critical mistake for everyone.
The fact that the media are reporting on this doesn't mean they're "ratcheting it up". Their job is to report the news, and it's definitely news that there's such an unprecedented level of conservative opposition to something a Republican President has done. The Republican Party hasn't been this divided in decades.
And generally speaking, up till now there's generally been a lack of media coverage of intraconservative dissension, despite the rather large quantity of it in response to the adminstration's policies on spending and the borders. Reporting on that would damage their carefully crafted image of Bush being an "extreme right-winger".
As for the vitriol, the pro-Miers side certainly has provided its share. Thread after thread features the same crowd coming on to disrupt the discussion with the most inane ad hominem BS. Rational discussion of this would be nice, but it most certainly isn't only the anti-Miers side that's guilty of obstructing of it.
If we're wearing blinders, Marine, then GW is trying to breathe with a plastic bag over his head.
I'm not calling on anyone to sign it who doesn't want to. Question is, what are you looking for in the hearings? That's what I'd like to hear from the pro-Miers pick people: what is it you expect to hear about Miers' qualifications at the hearings? What do you expect them to prove? Put your trust in Dubya aside and use a little independent judgment. Your country is counting on you to do so.
The next justice of the Supreme Court should be a person of clear, consistent, and unashamed conservative judicial philosophy.
Give George Bushs other judicial nominations have been pretty good (conservative), why do some people think Harriet Miers isn't?
Let me know where I can find the petition calling for the withdrawal of Arlen Specter from the US Senate.
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