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 After all, if Miers is defeated or withdrawn, her replacement will almost certainly be at least as reliably conservative as Miers, who, as I noted last week, appears to believe that public universities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.

[Bushbacker]

Good. I want the fight. Expose the backstabbing bastards for who they are (McCain and Co.) and lets do this.


_____Frist doesn't have the will for this fight..especially now with the SEC investigation of his stiock trades...the Senate is an exclusive club and doesn't want to drastucally change its rules

[Siena Dreaming]

predictable that many conservatives will be outraged

Ho hum. People are outraged about all kinds of dumb stuff. They'll get over it. Life goes on.

[alcuin]

Flashbunny, I know sinkspur. Well, as much as anyone can know a titan wrapped in an enigma covered by a shawl while reclining in a sensory deprivation tank.

And that, flashbunny, is NOT sinkspur.

You cad.

Did I do good, sinky?

Oh, the farmer and the cowboy should be friends . . .

[flashbunny]

"That is a bold-faced lie. And you know it."

Well if it wasn't you, then I apologize. Another poster did write it and I must have associated it with you, since it kind of fits your tone over the past three weeks.

[katieanna]

"If she is even mediocre in the hearings, she's in. "


Don't be so sure, Owen. Remember that Miers' questionnaire had to be RETURNED to her by the Judiciary Committee for "incomplete and insulting" answers. If she cannot answer a requisite questionnaire to the satisfaction of the Committee, she can't possibly even put on a "mediocre" performance at hearing. Not being able to complete the questionnaire is bad. Very bad.

[flashbunny]

Yes, this is sinkspur, in a snapshot over the past day or so:


Posting a graphic saying "you're a dumbass":
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506135/posts?page=268#268

Calliing a poster a jerk:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506352/posts?page=41#41

Calling members "clown-car-driving bozos"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506339/posts?page=74#74

One of his 'kinder' photo insults, calling a member a dunce:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506135/posts

"dipwad "
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506135/posts

Irony alert:
You cretins are now down into personal attacks
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506339/posts?page=12#12

There's more, many more, over the past three weeks.

His behavior has crossed the line of "no personal attacks" many times, yet he acts like the aggrieved party. So the picture does fit.

It's also appropriate because he's resorted to just posting pictures when he thinks he's being clever, but can't respond to the substance of the post.

Whatever sinkspur was before this, he's gone off the deep end with the miers nomination. It's become personal to him, and he's breaking the rules of the board in many of his posts. Go after what the poster said, or how they said it. But when you start making personal attacks directed at other members, that's going to far. And that's what sinkspur has been doing. You can ping sinkspur if you want to let him know I'm 'posting behind his back'. But I'm done with him. My only interaction with him in the future will be hitting the abuse button when he resorts to making personal attacks. I'm sick of him debasing the board just because he can't stand people criticizing the president or this nomination.

[JeffAtlanta]

would not nominate anyone until late next summer just before the Congressional election campaign started. Then, I would nominate Gonzalez and watch them sweat.

Why would Bush play games against his own party?

[Smelly_Fed]

> Why would Bush play games against his own party?

Let the record show, the Bush Administration likes games. From the Administration that brought us, "the Iraqi Deck of 52 Most Wanted" we now have, the Harriet Miers Cram Session Flash Cards.
Buy yours today!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

People are outraged about all kinds of dumb stuff.

True, people are. But when as many conservatives of different stripes, from Buchanan to Kristol, express dismay, I don't think it's fair to brush off their criticism as just so much "dumb stuff."

[KenmcG414]

If she really cares about the President, she should withdraw. I suppose she advised Bush to appoint a special prosecutor re. the Valerie Plame case. This special prosecutor was to appease the media, little did they think it would ensnare some of their own.

[irons_player]

Thats the plan.

[Siena Dreaming]

If she really cares about the President, she should withdraw.

Yawn.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

LOL. That'd be good. We need some more close-ups of Ted Kennedy's outraged visage.

[SteveH]

She must be very confident and not at all worried about her pending Judiciary Committee inquistion OR she is not astute enough to know what she is in for!!!

Or... maybe she's just a good poker player?

;-)

[aceintx]

"Y'all are just being silly.

This president is a brick wall. That's that. Forget it. She goes to hearings, she does a mediocre job and the Senators then look to their own futures.

Here's what they see. There are some blue state Dem Senators who will say . . . if I don't support this moderate, I risk a right wing followup nominee. So 1 or 2 of those vote YES.

There are a handful of red state Dems who have to get re-elected. This is a zero risk way to build their pro-Bush credentials. Those few blue state Dems who vote Yes provide cover, and indeed these red state Dem senators provide cover for those above. A few of these vote Yes.

The hardcore right wing GOP red state senators look at this as a zero risk way to get Administration support for some pork spending in their states. They vote YES, especially if they are from the Gulf region.

The RINOs have the Dem votes above as cover for a YES vote, and with a YES vote they get Administration campaign support. It's not even a close call for them.

If she is even mediocre in the hearings, she's in. Expectations by the right wing have been set so very low they they have cut their own throats in this. She need be only basically competent to look for a genius.

But . . . if you're looking for a genius, look at Bush/Rove. Those guys are mind boggling in their genius."

To continue your predictions and time line:

Conservatives stay home in 2006. Dumbycrat Party takes control of both houses of Congress in a political bloodbath for the Republican Party.

Bush limps along for two more years as North Eastern Establishment Country Club Republicans take over the party and further infuriate the Conservative Base of the Republican Party by attacking them as "Radical Right Wing Religionists who are trying to turn this country into a theocracy.

Conservative Republicans stay home again for the 2008 elections as the Country Club set of the Republican Party cram John McCain or Rudy down the Conservative bases throats.

President GWB hands over the keys to the White house to President Elect Hillary Rodham Clinton on a blisteringly cold January 2009 Morning.

Led by a Conservative uprising and revolt against the startlingly leftward lurch of the United State of America, the Republicans are returned to power in both houses of congress after the 2010 elections.

Republicans continue to expand majorities in both houses of Congress after the 2012 elections and President Elect Micheal Savage takes the oath of office on a sunny day in January 2013.

Harriet Miers proves to be an embarrassment to Former President GWB with her unimpressive reasoning and opinion writing on the Supreme Court and announces her retirement to Crawford Texas in late 2014 where she lives out the rest of her days writing letters singing GWBs praises as the most awesome president ever.

In

[Final Authority]

Gonzales is just another affirmative action nominee. That is how the conservatives view him. It will aggravate the rift that GWB has created with Miers. GWB for the sake of the voters who made the GOP the majority must nominate a person with conservative credentials, outside of GWB's political influence.

[aceintx]

"No conservative is going to get
Demo support...not even the most qialified legally....and a filibuster is virtually certain."


OOOO, We might make the Dumbycrats mad....we should find an even more Liberal Activist God hating, Abortion Loving, Homosexual Codling transvestite to sit on the SCOTUS.

Hey, Transvestites deserve representation too!

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

What makes me sick about this whole political mess, is that you would think that abortion is the only issue facing this country, and all that is important.

Well, it is.

Once the courts sanctioned infanticide and brought about the deaths of nearly 50,000,000 American children, the rest of the bad decisions were easy.

No society that permits the court-sanctioned murder of helpless kids has any business expecting property rights, or anything else.

Right the greatest wrong in American history, then we can work on the rest.

[Little Ray]

And the 'Pubbies lose the House in '06 and the Presidency and Senate in '08, 'cause PO'd Conservatives have something better to do than vote for 'em. Like work, read a book, or brush the goldfish or something.

[Little Ray]

Wishful thinking.

More likely, with Mier's vote, the Supreme Court rules that illegals can vote, otherwise we have taxation without representation. In a rush to pick up these new votes, the lurch to the left becomes an stampede, and the USA becomes a bankrupt third-world country.