Insiders see hint of Miers pullout

Washington Times ^ | 10-21-2005 | Ralph Z. Hallow and Charles Hurt

[Stellar Dendrite]

The White House has begun making contingency plans for the withdrawal of Harriet Miers as President Bush's choice to fill a seat on the Supreme Court, conservative sources said yesterday.

"White House senior staff are starting to ask outside people, saying, 'We're not discussing pulling out her nomination, but if we were to, do you have any advice as to how we should do it?' " a conservative Republican with ties to the White House told The Washington Times yesterday.

The White House denied making such calls. "Absolutely not true," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said.

But a conservative political consultant with ties to the White House said that he had received such a query from Sara Taylor, director of the Office of White House Political Affairs.

Miss Taylor denied making any such calls. A second Republican, who is the leader of a conservative interest group and has ties to the White House, confirmed that the White House is making calls to a select group of conservative activists who are not employed by the government.

"The political people in the White House are very worried about how she will do in the hearings," the second conservative leader said. "I think they have finally awakened.

[Stellar Dendrite]

ping

[pogo101]

bttt

[hispanichoosier]

"The political people in the White House are very worried about how she will do in the hearings," the second conservative leader said. "I think they have finally awakened.

Man, I hope he's right. While the President had every right to nominate Miers, he made a tremendous political miscalculation in doing so. If she pulls out, he admits he was mistaken, and nominates a person with more established conservative credentials, then maybe the rest of the President's second term can be salvaged.

[NapkinUser]

"Insiders see hint of Miers pullout"

Hallelujah!

[longtermmemmory]

This is wishful thinking.

You ALWAYS make contingency plans.

[SevenMinusOne]

and nominates a person with more established conservative credentials, then maybe the rest of the President's second term can be salvaged.

Absolutely pathetic - The President's second term is just fine (with Miers or without her) - You are completely foolish to suggest his term is over if she is confirmed. It is on the level of the MSM (pathetic is the only word that comes to mind regarding people with your mindset).

I am sick of some on the Right demanding more is owed to them! - More is owned to the CIC who has stood the test over 5 years that NO president in history has had to endure.

Pathetic are people with the mindset you express.

[mark502inf]

I want to support the President, but this Miers nomination is just goofy--she doesn't appear to have the intellect & experience you'd want in a SC justice; nor does she even seem to have a coherent, consistent philsophy--her quotes and positions are all over the place. Maybe my choice will make it now!

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

The editorial page of the Wall Street Journal came out against her today, saying they'd been prepared up until now to give the president the better of the doubt. The editorial was entitled "The Miers Blunder". Hard to make the tea leaves come out looking good for Harriet.

[Vigilanteman]

Simple face-saving solution:

Appoint Janice Rogers Brown to the Supreme Court and put Harriett Miers in the Appealate Court vacancy thus created.

[flashbunny]

[Last Dakotan]

Little late to be asking for advice.

[writer33]

We'll see. Worse things could happen, but we'll take it if she does.

[Txsleuth]

Does no one keep their mouths shut in Washington?

[hispanichoosier]

I am sick of some on the Right demanding more is owed to them!

Well, that's just tough. The conservative movement, beginning with Goldwater in '64, has made it possible for the President to be in the position he's in. It's fatuous for you to argue that the movement that propelled him into the White House isn't owed "political payback."

[sourcery]

The time to withdraw the Miers nomination is before a) the perception can be created that she is unsuitable for any of the reasons that leftist demagogues would normally promote, b) any sort of precedent is set in favor of filibustering Supreme Court nominees, and c) any Republican Senators actually vote against her.

[Cicero]

"White House senior staff are starting to ask outside people, saying, 'We're not discussing pulling out her nomination, but if we were to, do you have any advice as to how we should do it?' " a conservative Republican with ties to the White House told The Washington Times yesterday.

Yes. Get her to withdraw for the good of the President, the good of the party, and the good of the country. Either that or just pull the plug on her.

I also like the idea of firing Andrew Card. Blame the whole fiasco on him, if you like.

And since he can't fire Laura, maybe she could apologize too, for calling us all sexists on a left-wing TV show. She can blame Card too, if she likes.

[counterpunch]

And the fever finally starts to break.

[NapkinUser]

Did you make that?

[Holden Magroin]

Wishful thinking. Bush will never pull her nomination or let her withdraw. If she withdrew, he would instantly come under fire for "caving into the hard right." Bush torpedoed his second term with this nomination.