Krauthammer: Retreat (on Miers' nomination to SCOTUS)

Townhall.com ^ | 10-7-05 | Charles Krauthammer

[cgk]

WASHINGTON -- When in 1962 Edward Moore Kennedy ran for his brother's seat in the Senate, his opponent famously said that if Kennedy's name had been Edward Moore, his candidacy would have been a joke. If Harriet Miers were not a crony of the president of the United States, her nomination to the Supreme Court would be a joke, as it would have occurred to no one else to nominate her.

[DallasMike]

Bush is an excellent poker player and is in this for the long haul. The libs don't know what to think about Harriet Miers -- Harry Reid screwed himself when he told Bush that Miers was an acceptable pick. Conservatives are fighting amongst themselves but the Senate will end up confirming Miers.

Six months from now, finding a Freeper who admits to not supporting Miers from the beginning will be like finding a Frenchman who admits that he didn't support the French Resistance from the beginning.

 

       

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[stop_fascism]

Bush promised he'd appoint judges in the mold of Scalia and Thomas. From what I've seen thus far, Roberts is in the mold of Scalia, and Miers of Thomas. How is that throwing his promises to the wolves?

Bush, unlike people here, has to deal with the Reality of RINO republicans and the gang of 14. Luttig or Brown would not get confirmed. The same people who want those nominations would cut and run when they fail (Just like they have with Iraq.) At the end of the day, Miers will be confirmed, and there will be 4 solid originalist votes on the supreme court. Bush couldn't do better than that if he resurrected John Jay and put him on the court.

[cynicom]

Charles sure knows how to irritate the Bush toadies on FR.

[Mamzelle]

I think I've indicated what I think of Kristol and Will. You can barely read Will these days, so self-referential and toplofty--so redolent of the decaying academic.

Levin and Malkin are at the vanguard of what I hope will be the new conservative punditry. I think I'd trade brilliance for energy and courage. They don't have much to do with the lingering influence of the Partisan Review, and they're not bound hand and foot to Manhattan.

There's a long distance between lightweight and brilliant. People keep telling me that Krauthammer is brilliant, and I keep noticing that he not brilliant and saying so and making his fanboys mad. He's reasonably bright and well-spoken, but so are thousands who can take his place. I hope they do so.

[Taliesan]

But constitutional jurisprudence is different. It is, by definition, an exercise of intellect steeped in scholarship.

And yet these same conservatives are arguing that for 50 years "intellect steeped in scholarship" has perverted the Founding Document.

If "intellect steeped in scholarship" found a right to kill your baby in the Constitution, then give me farmers and plumbers and yes, church ladies on the Court.

[daviscupper]

Especially Brown, her parents were sharecroppers!

[rogue yam]

Your contributions to this thread are trivial and boring.

[eleni121]

Conservatives do not take their marching orders from columnists - of whatever stripe, Mr. Krauthammer.

[Cicero]

Yet another intelligent and usually reliable conservative who thinks Bush has made a poor decision on this. Isn't it funny that so many reliable conservatives have all gone off the rails at once? Could it be that they are right, not because they have suddenly turned RINO, or insane, but think that this appointment will damage the conservative cause they have fought for for so long?

[dirtboy]

If "intellect steeped in scholarship" found a right to kill your baby in the Constitution, then give me farmers and plumbers and yes, church ladies on the Court.

No kidding. A plumber would have seen "Congress shall pass no law" in front of the First Amendment, and then saw that McCain-Feingold was passed by Congress, and then flushed it down the toilet. No exercise of intellect steeped in scholarship required, just a plunger to help make sure it goes down all the way.

[safisoft]

You are posting as if BushBots aren't conservatives. .. We're just not HYSTERICAL conservatives.

Keep shouting that, Howlin.

The definition of a Bushbot is self evident: someone defined by their loyalty to Bush no matter what. No bad, but not the same as someone who defines themselves by a political principle, and remain loyal to the principle no matter what.

Conservatives support people, who support and continue to support conservative principles.

[Howlin]

My "contributions" to this thread have consisted of repost of YOUR posts, so if you think they're trivial, perhaps you should try to make more substantive posts, eh?

[jess35]

I don't think that too many people around here are going to be upset with Miers' opinions, so why does everyone have their panties in a wad?

#1. They wanted a knock down drag out battle. It's not about Miers, it's about the smackdown they wanted to deliver.

#2. There are some people who have bought into the liberal spin. They believe you must have experience as a judge and an impressive law school degree before you can even begin to understand the meaning of the simple words in the Constitution. I guess they don't realize THEY are part of the problem and Miers just might be part of the solution.

[Map Kernow]

Ann needs a spanking for going over the top and saying she wanted to put impeach Bush stickers on her car....I'm sure you will be the first to volunteer.

I'll put "Impeach Bush" stickers on my car if Ann will. I remember the hissing, yowling and sputtering here when Buchanan and Farah in quick succession wanted the House to introduce a bill of impeachment about a month ago because of Bush's laxity about immigration and border security. Seems to me all GW's been saying since then is, "Bring it on!"

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Why are you alluding to a future showdown when W ducked a confrontation when one was needed and could have been sucessful? Why are you even assuming that Bush will get any more picks at all?

[Graymatter]

"Elitist" is the label pinned on people who insist on merit, by people who are short on it.

[Howlin]

You wonder why?

Is it because you don't seem to be able to either comprehend or reply to the English language?

You said she was on the Democrats' list; I asked you if you knew who was on the Democrat's list instead of Clarence Thomas.

Do you have an answer or are you just going to continue your circular responses without answering my question?

[calrighty]

A perfect example, yours.

[Earthdweller]

"Your contributions to this thread are trivial and boring."

Howlin and I don't agree on everything but I'd say that was uncalled for ......you are leaving the world of reasonable commentary and entering the realm of insults.

[Rodney King]

"Elitist" is the label pinned on people who insist on merit, by people who are short on it.

True for the most part, except for wealthy liberals who got where they were without merit.