First: Does anyone really think a Justice with a long and clearly published track record proving that person would be like Justices Scalia or Thomas would have even the slightest chance of getting confirmed? We do NOT have a conservative majority in the Senate.
45 votes, tops, would ever go for a clearly conservative nominee. ANYBODY we get will have to be carefully obscure to have any chance of confirmation. Case in point: Anyone who thinks we really know how Roberts will work out is lost in dreamland. He could be another Souter, and we would not know (yet).
But back to the topic of this thread: We HAVE been misled. By "conservatives" twisting things in ways that must make DU proud.
Apparently, some people will stoop to whatever depths it takes to derail the nomination of Harriet Miers.
Destroy President Bush? OK, if that will get rid of Miers.
Blow apart the Republican Party? Fine, if that will get rid of Miers.
Hand Congress back to the Democrats? Fine. It's worth it if we can JUST GET RID OF HARRIET MIERS!
I don't get it. WHAT'S SO BAD ABOUT MIERS???
She has lots of real world experience, but hasn't been a judge? SO WHAT! You don't have to be a judge first to be a Supreme Court Justice.
She hasn't published a bunch of scholarly articles? SO WHAT! How many people working in the real world would even consider it?
She was skeptical of the Federalist Society back when it was first founded? SO WHAT! The head of TODAY'S Federalist Society raves about her.
She used to be a Dem, and even contributed to Gore back when Gore was pro-life? SO WHAT! I'd much rather have someone who used to be wrong, but has seen the error of their ways. (An extreme example, St. Paul, comes to mind...)
Which brings up the most disgusting thing of all: She's an EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN! Horrors!!! I'll bet she even thinks all men are created equal, endowed by their CREATOR with certain inalienable rights...
I can see reasoned discussion about a Supreme Court nominee, and reasonable disagreement. A lot of us care, a LOT, about reversing the outrageous excesses of our judiciary system, and the Supreme Court in particular. This is one of the most important decisions President Bush will ever make.
But the depths to which this has sunk are deplorable!
Personally, I trust President Bush. I trust him with defending our nation. I trust him with the war in Iraq. And I trust him to do his best to pick the most conservative person he can possibly get confirmed.
That Democrats have been able to use a procedural motion to wield an veto over the government is an abomination that the GOP has allowed to happen. We cannot accept the Democrats' terms, which state that no known conservative can be confirmed even though the Senate is not in their control.
Also, I have read a number of posts here that seem to be taking it for granted that Bush or some spokesman is actively spinning that there was no promise or statement like "in the mold of Scalia of Thomas". I read the entire article and the one it linked to and saw nothing like that. And I've seen nothing like that anywhere else.
This is getting out of hand.
"First: Does anyone really think a Justice with a long and clearly published track record proving that person would be like Justices Scalia or Thomas would have even the slightest chance of getting confirmed?"
The Republicans in the WH must certainly try. That's part of the bargain.
"We do NOT have a conservative majority in the Senate...45 votes, tops, would ever go for a clearly conservative nominee."
That's speculation, but let's grant that. Say that 10 Republicans defect on a conservative nom. The thing is, they do not get to choose the next nominee. Bush does. If they reject the next one, Bush gets to choose again, and so on. The advantage you're supposed to have with a supposedly conservative President is that he can choose only conservative Justices to be confirmed. Doesn't matter how long it takes, or how many are intially turned down. If the pressure is kept up, eventually one would get through.
But such a display of resolve against other politicians is uncharacteristic of Bush. His background has shown him to be a "uniter, not a divider" who works with Democrats, not against them.
"Which brings up the most disgusting thing of all: She's an EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN! Horrors!!! I'll bet she even thinks all men are created equal, endowed by their CREATOR with certain inalienable rights..."
She used to be a Catholic, but converted.
I suppose she'll convert from a Scalia into a Souter if she gets in the Supreme Court, too.
We're conservatives. We don't surrender. We fight. We lead. We persuade. We overcome adversity. We twist arms and kick butt when necessary.
And I trust the president. I also trust the lessons learned through experience. Trust, but verify.
Fight on!
Everything.