Posted on 10/27/2005 6:09:25 AM PDT by procomone
WASHINGTON - Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to be a Supreme Court justice Thursday in the face of stiff opposition and mounting criticism about her qualifications.
Bush said he reluctantly accepted her decision to withdraw, after weeks of insisting that he did not want her to step down. He blamed her withdrawal on calls in the Senate for the release of internal White House documents that the administration has insisted were protected by executive privilege.
"It is clear that senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at the White House — disclosures that would undermine a president's ability to receive candid counsel," Bush said. "Harriet Miers' decision demonstrates her deep respect for this essential aspect of the constitutional separation of powers — and confirms my deep respect and admiration for her."
What concerns me is that I truly believe the President thought he had found a way to give his base what they wanted, an originalist, and a nominee who couldn't be filibustered. Almost all the names Freepers have mentioned are unlikely to get the approval of the Gang of 14. And I wouldn't be surprised if a secret part of the Gang of 14 deal would be that the Pubbies wouldn't let any of the nominees that got approval for the Appeals court would be submitted for nomination to the USSC. So, I would think there is NO WAY Owens, Brown, etc. will get nominated.
OTOH, Gonzales is out for the same reasons GIVEN for withdrawing the Miers nomination, WH document requests. Bush is between a rock and a hard place. The rock being his base, the hard place being Shadow President McCain and the Gang of 14. All while indictments are ready to make him the media's whipping boy for the next two years....
sad...
INTERESTING YOU MENTION ROBERTS as good nominee/confirmed chief justice, BECAUSE MIERS IS THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED ROBERTS TO BUSH.
Based upon what's been made available, it was Harriet Miers who conducted a head-hunt effort and arrived at John Roberts as suggested to Bush.
Were any in the above list, a member of an evangelical Christian church?
WHAT ARE YOU SMOKIN.. do you think anything close to a change in tax code will come out of a Democrat Ways and Means Committee? Bwhahahhahahhahahhhahah .. sorry I forgot you are not getting the joke, you head is up your (*&^^@..
Yeah, I agree with that. Bush should have had the fortitude to stay with his convictions, to remain in some sort of "nominee fidelity" to Miers. Whoever he nominates SHOULD represent his convictions, not whims. As also with all nominees, any President.
I don't think it's going to be Gonzalez. For some strange reason, Mr. Bush seems to believe in the Supreme Court quota system and decided that O'Connor's replacement has to be a woman.
Ummmmmm. That makes me nervous.
I don't see it as spin. I know this. NO President wants to turn over internal WH documents to the Senate. Not Nixon. Not Reagan. Not Bush43. OTOH. Bush might need Miers around the WH, especially if Rove goes down tomorow.
LOL
That's true, but I don't see your point.
I think the fact that Miers' faith is what it is is what's been motivating certain faux-conservatives among the so-called conservative media to rail on about her to the degree they have.
Just look at the characters who have spoken out loudly and most offensively about Miers and what they've said about her: it's gone from the tiny to the absurd and none of them respect her Christian beliefs. They can't say THAT so they've come up with, oh, you know, it's her nail polish, it's her light bulbs, it's her friends from her grade school years, it's...
Three words: Judge Diane Sykes. THAT will hamstring Democrats who overwhelmingly confirmed her to the 7th Circuit Court.
How old is Bork now?
"What concerns me is that I truly believe the President thought he had found a way to give his base what they wanted, an originalist, and a nominee who couldn't be filibustered."
Agreed. This was no stalking horse or slap at the conservatives. In my opinion, Bush was trying to please as many of his supporters as he could without harming the country with an unnecessary domestic fight.
The President withdrew Miers based upon the idea that he could not release WH documents. Gonzalez would face this same barrier. OTOH, Gonzalez has a record to look at apart from his WH activities.
He has learned there are a lot of vicious b@stards out there with knives drawn for any but one of the Annointed.
Because the president has the right to nominate candidates for the supreme court and there is a public hearing process to question him or her. I don't see what is difficult to understand about that. I don't see how we know she "clearly isn't qualified" until we have the hearings. I didn't like what I saw, but I was waiting for the hearings to make a final determination.
He's 78 years old. He's got maybe five years left in him. Roe case may not make it to the Court before he keels over. Better to nominate someone young like Roberts.
Now if you were threatening a recess appointment, Bork would indeed be an excellent FU choice.
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