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.

[JohnnyZ]

As Rehnquist was on the day he was nominated?

As qualified as John Edwards is.

[ZULU]

"Am I excited about this pick? No! But am I going to keep an open mind about her? Yes! And why you may ask? Because so far we have gotten nothing but good judicial picks from the WH and because of that I have at least a reason to believe so far that she will be no different, no matter what the hole in the head gang believes."

Once again, amazing rhetoric on your part.

Lets hope you are correct on this woman and I am wrong.

But the most acerbic vitriol and attacks come from the Bush Bots - people who seem to feel that anything Bush does should go unquestioned.

This is a seat on the Supreme Court - not a mere cabinet appointment. It is most essential that a Justice be selected who will help put the brakes on the series of pro-homosexual, anti-Christian, anti-religious, pro-illegal alien, pro-criminal, anti-Constitutionalist decisions coming out that body as juridical legislation.

You are accepting this candidate on the basis that Bush selected her. That's simply not good enough for me.

Bush selected Norman Mineta as head of the Transportation Department - the guy who has guards frisking little old Swedish-American ladies at airports instead of obvious middle eastern males. He's also the guy who opposed arming pilots.

Bush selected Tom Kean as the Chairman of the 9-11 Commission, a liberal who never supported him, and did everything he could to attack the administration in that body and protect Clinton hack Jamie Goreleck.

Bush retained Louie Freeh as head of the FBI and George Tennet as head of the CIA and they screwed up royally, didn't they?

George Bush appointed Tom Ridge, a real mental light weight as head of Homeland Security.

Bush appointed Chrissie Whitman, a real liberal flake, as head of the EPA, and she used her position to criticize him and his policies.

Bush appointed a real foul ball, Colin Powell as head of the State Department and the slick cynical French, German, and Russian diplomats at the U.N. chewed him up and spit him out like chewing tobacco.

Bush appointed our friend Alberto Gonzales, a guy who is pro-choice, pro-affirmative action and very sympatico to the illegal invaders, as AG.

You could go on and on about misplaced trust by Bush. His best appointments were Rice, Rumsfeld and the choice of Cheney as his running mate.

As for the other judges he selected, I can't assess each and every one of them. But if they were mainly conservatives, its because the Dems realize that the big magilla is the Supreme Court - thats where the final action is and where they thus far, have been so successful with their allies the ACLU, the pro-homosexual groups, the anti-gun groups, etc, in changing the social picture of America.

So that's why I want to be VERY CERTAIN that this candidate is capable of being trusted on the Court, and the only proof is her background, which isn't impressive. Mere verbal accolades from Bush or any one else means little or nothing - the proof is in the performance, and so far this woman ain't got any. On the other hand, Owens, Brown and a host of other individuals who were under consider HAVE the experience and HAVE the record we both want.

And finally, anybody who Harry Reid and Chuckie Schumer approve of, is somebody I am very suspicious of.

[DesScorp]

Right now, Bush has Senator Reid basically endorsing his Supreme Court nominee.

Ummm....Reid has been pushing her all along. He thinks she's a Souter in disguise. I'm afraid he's right. And regardless, she's spectacularly unqualified for the job. Bush will never regret Iraq, but he'll rue the day he nominated Miers.

[RobbyS]

As qualified as Rehquist was on the day he was nominated?

[aft_lizard]

Amazing rhetoric? I am stating my position, not an argument.

From the moment her name was announced and the fringe right didnt recognize her name the vitriol and hatred from you guys began and anybody, and I mean anybody who decided to either support her and Bush or sit backj and take an independed wait and see attitude became a target of your atttacks, do not attempt to even try and say that isnt true, simply the facts are on my side on this. I disagree with the President on border control, prescription drugs, NCL, and the deficit yet this time I take a wait and see on a judicial nominee I become his nuthugger, its insulting to me and this site that you guys became this DU'esque reflection of everything you claim to hate. Its sad really.

[borkrules]

...but somehow Krauthammer and George Wiill act like all Bush has to do is submit a conservative nominee and presto, we will triumph over the democrats? It makes me a little dubious of their opinions, to say the least.

Well, they aren't dealing with that argument very extensively at all, as far as I can tell. But, I have to assume that they believe the President could win a Senate fight to change the rules and crush a filibuster that would inevitably result from nominating someone like McConnell or Owens. I haven't tried to read the tea leaves or count votes so I'm not sure who's right and who's wrong and much would depend on the PR campaign.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

*BUSHBOT ALERT*
Add Krauthammer to the long list of evil lying traitorous DU liberal commie scum.
*snicker*

[JohnnyZ]

As qualified as Rehquist was on the day he was nominated?

Not a chance.

[Republican Wildcat]

That argument has been made on here more times than I can count, and there are bozos on here calling you a liar for saying it. And these people want their arguments to be taken seriously? It is a total joke.

[borkrules]

Hey, don't knock Alberto. I hear he's next if Bush gets another crack at a SCOTUS nomination. I wonder if that will cause some to finally get a little upset.

[stop_fascism]

Will was a supporter of the Dem's "right" to filibuster. That makes his column on Miers truly incomprehensible.

[ZULU]

So what's "fringe right"? Can you define it without using the Harriet Meir case?

[RobbyS]

And your reason for saying this? Miers and Rehnquist had similar careers.

[borkrules]

Point taken. Will is part of the larger problem insofar as he threw his rhetorical weight behind the damnable "Gang of 14".

Look, I'm no fan of the little bow-tied weenie. He looked down that patrician nose at Reagan early on as well. Meh.

But, when he's got a point about something, hey, he's got a point. And I think he's got a point about better nominees being passed up. Even if his previous gasbaggery would have made confirming those potential nominees more difficult.

[Texas Federalist]

And yet you called me a liar for pointing out that Coulter did in fact say that. How odd.

You claimed she said a candidate "needs" to come from a top law school. That is different from it being preferable that they come from a top law school. Okay, you're not a liar, you just have an imprecise vocabulary.

[LibWrangler]

Ann Coulter (dot com) writes:

While Bush was still boozing it up in the early '80s, Ed Meese, Antonin Scalia, Robert Bork and all the founders of the Federalist Society began creating a farm team of massive legal talent on the right.


(The message is Bush owes them.)

[JohnnyZ]

Miers and Rehnquist had similar careers.

Who the heck are you talking about?

I shall quote ....

"But in 1971 he had proven that he was fully engaged in the debate on the issues of constitutional theory, by academic papers and scholarship, by his work in the Justice Department, and by the nature of his private practice in Arizona...Miers has none of this."

And no one is suggesting nominating Rehnquist to this opening. People are suggesting the most qualified individuals: Brown, Luttig, Garza, et al.

[flashbunny]

" So disagree with him if you want, but lay off the baseless attacks on his character and qualifications"

That's what the "don't you dare question the miers pick" crowd has been doing for the past 4 days.

The people at the forefront of the conservative movement are now apparently all liberal trolls and elitests. They were useful and admired right up until monday morning, when the failed to heed the president's request to 'trust him'.

[Toidylop]

What has she done, what has she proved herself to be worthy of the best SC justice??? I'm listening...