"The Miers debacle marks the nadir of his presidency, with regard to domestic policy.
How much do you want to bet that we won't see any more federalist/Constitutionalist/originalist jurists nominated for any circuit or lower court?
Or if they are, I doubt very much that the Democrats will allow them up for a vote, using the Miers standard, of course."
Your comments are worth repeating in full. For all those who say Bush is too weak to overcome the current Republican dominated Senate, too weak to beat back the RINOs in the Gang of 14, too weak to defeat Kennedy and Leahy, too weak to stand up to Pelosi and Reid, I say this guy is finished. Do you hear me? He's FINISHED? Washington is all about power. Bush wimped out. All that "bring it on" bravado was just so much BS from the son of another presidential wimp, old "read my lips" daddy Bush. And to think I once held this guy in such high regard.
Stick a fork in him, he's done.
Mark my words, Bush has, proverbially speaking, jumped the shark, and his administration ain't coming back.
I think you're right, but there is an out if the president's handlers are smart enough to take it.
This 'third way' approach of talking like a conservative but governing (domestically) like a big government liberal is now dead. He may be able to ram through more foreign policy things, but domestically, he is becoming a lame duck.
The past two weeks illustrate a way for him to accomplish something in his last 3+ years in office. It shows that the true political fire comes from the conservative base - they are still about ideas and accountability. The left is nothing but wacky theories and 'anybody but bush'. The middle, well, they'll never lead. The "Party over principles" squad in the republican party had the reigns but have squandered it domestically.
So, if they're smart, and Miers said GWB is the most brilliant man she's ever known, they'll pick up on this. Drop the lame 'compassionate' conservative bunk that is just big government with another name. Start picking up true conservative ideas that fire up the base - cutting spending, changing the tax code, reforming social security, securing the borders.
Big, daring, limited-government ideas that will get the base behind them again and help them accomplish great things. That's about the only way they'll find themselves getting anywhere.
This isn't just about the miers pick - the pick was just the last straw. If he wants to be effective anymore, he'll have to stop working for the democrats and start working for the conservatives in his party.