Doesn't Look Good - Harriet Miers will not join the Supreme Court.

American Spectator ^ | John Tabin

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Harriet Miers will not join the Supreme Court.

It may seem a little early to say that; Miers's Judiciary Committee hearings, after all, don't even start for two weeks. But given the news this week, I think it's a pretty sturdy limb I'm out on.

John Fund reported on Monday that Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht and Dallas-based federal Judge Ed Kinkeade, both friends of Miers's, apparently assured social conservative leaders on a conference call that Miers would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Hecht and Kinkeade deny it, but two of Robert Novak's sources, who were on the call, confirm Fund's story. And in a document issued to the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, it was revealed that Miers pledged, in a questionnaire she filled out for the Texans United for Life Political Action Committee (TUL-PAC) during her 1989 campaign for Dallas City Council, to support various pro-life policies, including a Human Life Amendment. That may do a little to reassure some conservatives on Miers, but it won't be enough to earn her monolithic support from the Right. After all, if Miers is defeated or withdrawn, her replacement will almost certainly be at least as reliably conservative as Miers, who, as I noted last week, appears to believe that public universities can constitutionally employ race-based admission policies.

Democrats might have concluded that it would be better to back Miers than risk facing a stronger conservative. But after the latest revelations about her pro-life views, Miers can expect almost no support from the party of Roe v. Wade.

Consider just the Judiciary Committee. Unless she explicitly declares fealty to upholding Roe, the five Democrats who voted against John Roberts won't vote for her. The three who did vote for Roberts -- Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, and Patrick Leahy of Vermont -- did so on the grounds that the overwhelming qualifications of the nominee trumped their ideological concerns. With Miers, the qualifications are significantly less and the ideological concerns are now arguably greater. Miers will probably not get even a single vote from the Committee's eight Democrats.

She can't count on Committee Republicans, either. Another conservative Committee member, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, commented after the TUL-PAC questionnaire came out that Miers still needs to "show she has the capacity to be a Supreme Court justice." The New York Times reported two weeks ago that after meeting with Miers, conservative Committee member Sam Brownback of Kansas "said he would consider voting against the nomination, even if President Bush made a personal plea for his support." And squishy Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, along with ranking Democrat Leahy, it was reported yesterday, was very displeased with Miers's "incomplete" answers to a Judiciary Committee questionnaire.

Under a bipartisan agreement, Supreme Court nominations can't be killed in committee. But if all the Committee Democrats and even one Republican vote against her, the vote will be 9-9 and Miers will go to the Senate floor without a recommendation that she be approved. This will make it much harder to get Miers confirmed on the Senate floor. It will be harder still -- probably impossible -- if ten or more Senators vote against her in committee.

"This is going to be an unusual hearing," says Specter, "where I think all 18 senators are going to have probing questions." There's not much reason to think that Miers can skillfully navigate that buzzsaw.

Her nomination is doomed.

[MHGinTN]

"... Miers apparently assured social conservative leaders on a conference call that Miers would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade." One more mark of her brilliance! John Fund loves the abortion right ... pay the fool no mind as he applies his lips in pooch mode to the democrap party rear end and begs recognition from the lieberal elite.

[TAdams8591]

"And squishy Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, along with ranking Democrat Leahy, it was reported yesterday, was very displeased with Miers's "incomplete" answers to a Judiciary Committee questionnaire."

And this was the lady who was correcting the grammer errors of staff and rewriting their work. LOL!

[TAdams8591]

You always have such encouraging, inspiring, hopeful sentiments!

I'm praying President Bush is more mature than that.

[TAdams8591]

Here's hoping and praying the president is more mature and and a bigger man than some of our posters.

[meema]

Thanks for the pings, SD!
Will read in the a.m.

[not2worry]

I am kinda getting tired of the two leading conservative talk show hosts setting "The Agenda" for this Country.

Vote her in or vote her out. The last time I recalled, it was the President who nominated SCJ.

After this week, I for one, have decided not to listen to Rush or Hannity for at least a week. Their whining is getting on my last nerve.

BTW, the Holidays are right around the corner. Whatever anyone's agenda is at this point in time we need to REMEMBER OUR TROOPS SERVING IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

[Bushbacker]

What's the point of winning

____To gain public office and hold power...it's called "politics."

[aceintx]

Amen about remembering the troops man!!!

[longtermmemmory]

Here is our choice:

Justice O'Connor OR Justice Meirs


Given this choice I vote Meirs.

[HapaxLegamenon]

Doomed??? Someone should tell Bush.

He's not listening (too much static).

[aceintx]

"Here is our choice:

Justice O'Connor OR Justice Meirs


Given this choice I vote Meirs"


Is there a difference?

[hedgetrimmer]

Yeah, he's a great choice.

National Council of LaRaza confirms that Alberto Gonzales is one of their members

"Alberto Gonzales served with distinction on the board of directors of one of NCLR's oldest and most respected affiliates, the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA) in Houston, Texas. Moreover, during his tenure as White House Counsel, he has been one of the most accessible members of the White House staff to NCLR and other Hispanic organizations," --Janet Murguia, NCLR Executive Director and COO.

"For those within 'the race,' everything; for those outside 'the race,' nothing." --La Raza Credo

[jmc813]

Then, I would nominate Gonzalez and watch them sweat.

You would nominate a gun-grabber for the higest court in the land? That's troubling.

[utahagen]

What is the point in having confirmation hearings if people are going to make up their minds ahead of time? I am still baffled by the semi-hysteria on both sides of the aisle over this issue. Let Miers go in front of the committee. If she's confirmed, she's confirmed; if not, then not.