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."
See post 212.
I'm sure Darth Vader would embrace your praise and for the same reasons.
The "good of the country" is served by fealty to the Constitution. The good of the country is not served by Justices who can be swayed from the written Constitution to rely on their own wishes or feelings. We didn't know anything about Miers' propensities - and that was the problem with her nomination.
You have to allow that the conservative critics of the president also had the best interests of the country in mind when they resisted Miers' nomination. Unfortunately, Bush's pick was one of weakness. He was rocked by the Louisiana hurricane, Iraq woes and the continuing CIA leak probe. Miers looked like a safe pick with the opposition. Unfortunately for Bush, it was his conservative base which tripped him up with his own promise. It was his conservative base which looked at the best interests of the country's future - damn the president's popularity and poll ratings.
Sorry, sad to let you down. Bush is not always correct. Once in a while, it would be nice if he would display a little of the loyalty to the party which he expects to be shown to him.
Right back at ya.........
Bwahhaaaaaaaahahahah!
What a fool to think that Bill Frist is going to fight for anything.
Miers' withdrawal has not "pleased the conservative base," it's pleased the libertarian 'base' among the GOP. The worst complaints about Miers have not been from actual conservatives among Republicans -- we've been willing all along to see her through to confirmation.
He's 78. I know, I know :-)
Yawn..........
Sorry, but Brown cannot be confirmed. She barely made it last time.
Not a chance. This president has never played those games and he certainly wouldn't put someone he knew, like and cared for through this. He's always been a "what you see is what you get" type of person. He says straightforwardly what he means to say.
The only person here I see who may have been playing games with people's lives is Harry Reid. He suggested her to the president knowing that the WH would never reveal the documents they wanted to see. Then the conservative base finished his job for him.
He stabbed no one in the back. It is the Nutjob wing of the GOP which uses knives.
Then you are just as myopic as others here. A person should be judged on their merits as a person not whether or not you have heard of them before. I have been in GW's corner since he started running in Texas and trusted him. Some decisions I do not like but nobody is perfect.
With GW's numbers falling this is not a good time for him to appear to have been defeated, and appearances is what many of you live by, it will empower the libs to work even harder at their miss-gotten games.
"How exactly was she not qualified? The Constitution does not say you had to have certain prior experience to be appointed. These 'qualifications' that many of you speak were instilled by lawyers for lawyers just like anything else."
Every job has qualifications. Even flipping burgers at McDonald's.
To suggest that being a Justice on the supreme court has less requirements is an insult.
I believe, at the very minimum, a nominee must pledge to uphold the Constitution. Is that a required qualification in your eyes? Or should that not even be asked of Bush's noms?
Yeah, well, Bush is in trouble if he's dealing and wheeling like this for these reasons.
I'd have thought far more of him had he been willing to stay the course and remain in support of the very person/s he nominated.
Perhaps the withdrawal was the decision of Miers but it sure looks like Bush just used the document-issue to force her into the decision and take the easy way out, just like every smarmy administrator I've ever encountered among people using public offices.
I'm disappointed in Bush more than anyone here. I'm also grateful to now see who among so-called conservatives I should avoid taking seriously, if not turn off completely.
"The fact that they are so widely read..."
Oops ... NOT ANY MORE.
Nah, those opposed to Miers ensured that SCOTUS will remain the domain of the mandarin class who excel at finding penumbras...
"They don't need issues you idiot, you and you nearsighted hotheads are the friggin issue.. the fracture in the fragile coalition is an opening that will cause a void"
Pick up a history book. The '64 realignment election made the GOP a more out-and-out conservative party. RINOs like you are sitting in the back of the bus, just here for the ride. Not to drive it.
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