Posted on 10/16/2005 12:08:21 PM PDT by Westpole
President Bush has blundered badly with the nomination of Harriet Miers. It isn't just the profound split within the Republican Party that is damaging. The presidency itself is weakened because his judgment is now doubted within his own camp.
The Democrats always doubted his judgment, indeed his intellect. Now the same doubts are being expressed on the right. What is it about this nomination that can so undermine the presidency? The main problem with Ms. Miers nomination can be summed up simply - she is a "weak sister".
People respect bold action even when they don't agree with it. The Democrats mostly voted for the war in Iraq even though they opposed it. A bold move by a President will usually be deferred to. But there is nothing bold in this nomination. The very character of the nominee that is emerging is that of a follower not a leader.
Some may believe the strength of the opposition to Miers comes from people with misgivings about her views on Roe or her clandestine leanings on any number of other issues. But that is not what is giving the Bush presidency problems. Mr. Bush could have gone in one of two other directions;
If he nominated a conservative intellectual leader the right would have cheered and the left would have played the same cards they have over other conservative judicial nominees. Their opposition would only have made the President look stronger not weaker. Had Mr. Bush nominated say a leader with centrists or even liberal views the right may have objected but he could claim that "balance" on the court is a an important principal for American stability and his willings to put stability over his party's wishes would have made him look bold and certainly in the media wise. In either case the president would be a bold thoughtful leader but Mr. Bush did neither. He nominated a camp follower, a weak sister whose best quality is her loyalty to him. If confirmed the Democrats would hope the loyalty was binding as long as it was convenient. Whereas the right would hope she would just follow Justices Scalia and Thomas. So what Mr. Bush has done is force both sides to wonder which leader this follower will follow. No one is comfortable with making that speculation for a justice of the Supreme Court. And everyone senses a missed opportunity to increase the intellectual heft of decision making in the country's only forum for which there is no appeal.
Slow day at your house?
I don't know where you are coming from, but you are definitely out to lunch.
Let the process play out and the Senate decide.
There will be other openings soon enough, imo..
Stubborn refusal to change course will cost what political capital was left.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
Great! Something else to aspire to! I'm gonna start posting this on Miers threads, too, though I should do the polite thing and ask your permission first.
Baloney. Bush has done his job with his past picks to the federal courts. He's nominated mostly conservative jurists and his track record in that regard is quite good.
At the very least, Miers deserves her day before the Senate committee. They'll be plenty of time to rip her after she speaks, should she screw up. But unless serious problems are revealed, Miers will be confirmed.
Get a grip
The poor, pitiful, right-wing extremists thought they owned Bush just because they voted Republican in the last election. These right-wing extremists would not even agree on which person to choose, if they had the chance to choose. They do not choose. The President chooses. It's time for the poor, pitiful, right-wing, cry babies to realize they are not and never will be the President and find something new to whine about.
I will change it a little, IB4TFW - flame war!
When he's being watched. I don't understand the notion that because a politician does the right thing when his actions can be scrutinized, he can therefore be trusted to do the right thing without supervision. There aren't that many areas in life where you can do that, and politics least of all.
This result could leave a mark.
I agree - - this poster is a little too new to be posting his own column here twice under two entirely different titles. That's my opinion, anyway.
ROTFLMAO! and awaiting the freezing of hell.
Bush isn't ten years old and he doesn't need supervision, or your permission to choose who he wants to sit on any court. It's quite obvious, many conservatives have been waiting for the right opportunity to bash the President. John Roberts slipped under the radar with a talented and intelligent performance. There are plenty of issues to criticize this President on, but his picks to the federal courts isn't one of them. I believe Harriet Miers will turn out to be a fine justice and will uphold the original intent of the Founders.
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