Posted on 10/09/2005 3:28:25 PM PDT by Pukin Dog
I decided to end my self-imposed exile from posting due to information that I received this past weekend from ‘a little birdie’ in Washington, which I subsequently had confirmed by another ‘insider’ if you can call him that.
You know I won’t tell, so don’t bother asking me for names, links, or further information. I trust these individuals, and have received accurate information from them before and shared it here on Free Republic. Of course, all are free to either accept or reject what I am about to share, but if you know anything about the Dog, I don’t change my mind often, and my only goal is to pass on information that can help support the Conservative agenda.
Issue 1.
Information was shared with me on Saturday, which described in no uncertain terms that Harriet Miers stands as the only nominee on Bush’s list which has any chance of confirmation by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The reasons for this are numerous, and would be embarrassing to the Conservative movement should one or many of the ‘stars’ who we hoped Bush would select be shot down in Committee, which again, if true, would be a certainty.
More than one of the persons we might have wanted made it clear to the President that they would not accept his nomination if selected. You can draw your own conclusions as to why, but the only hint I will provide is that data mining works too damn well these days. What we saw back when Clarence Thomas was nominated would seem like a walk in the park, compared to what would be done to some of our most popular jurists.
Our Democrat opponents have been quite busy, especially after John Roberts embarrassed them, searching for any information that would allow an open personal attack on a nominee. Sadly, many of the folks we wanted badly would have had their lives destroyed had they attempted confirmation to the bench, and wisely declined. There is no one among us who has not done (or had a family member do) things that we either regret, or would rather keep to ourselves. Because none of us are perfect, it is possible that had one of our choices been selected, we might have lived to regret that day for a very long time.
Issue 2.
Arlen Specter is in my opinion, a traitor to the Conservative movement. He has made it clear to the White House that he is determined to protect his legacy, by NOT supporting any name among those who might make it possible to overturn Rowe V. Wade. What that means, is that had Bush put up someone who might make us proud, Specter reneged on a PROMISE to support Bush’s judicial nominees in return for his, (and especially Rick Santorum’s) support for his re-election. This promise was made when there was strong consideration for removing Specter’s pending chairmanship in favor of John Coryn, or an extension to the term of Orrin Hatch.
The removal of Specter from the Chairmanship would have been disastrous, because he would have remained a committee member, and would have sided with Democrats against the President’s selections out of spite. So, why not simply remove Specter from the committee? That would have been really bad PR, considering Specter’s health issues at the time these decisions were being made.
One could argue that it might have been best to send up nominee after nominee, even if eventually defeated, but remember that O’Conner is only around hoping for a quick confirmation so that she can be with her ill husband. Bush was under the gun to come up with a confirmable candidate, or risk a Supreme Court not running at full strength as important rulings came under review.
I am told that Arlen Specter has gone back on every single promise he made when his chairmanship was still a question, and feels untouchable now that he is ill, because any punitive measures taken against him would be seen as ‘less than compassionate’ by the MSM and Democrats, who admittedly would have a field day, were Specter punished for his duplicity. The sad thing is that after “Scottish Law” or even the “Magic Bullet theory” that some think that anything that Arlen Specter says can be trusted. Sure, he supported Clarence Thomas, but does anyone believe that Specter would still be a Senator if he had not?
Issue 3.
Let’s face it; our Republican Senate is an embarrassment. From the weakness of Frist, to the petulance of the dude who ‘thinks he is leader’ McCain, down to his McCainiac compadre Lindsey (tinker-bell) Graham, to the nut from Mississippi who thinks he can actually get his leadership position back by actively rebelling against the President, we aint looking to good at all.
Our Republican Senate has as members at least 7 Democrats who could have never gotten elected as Democrats, who nonetheless support the Democrat agenda whenever they can get away with it, which unfortunately due to the weakness of Frist, is all too often. I find myself wishing Tom Delay would run for the Senate against Hutchinson, just so we can have someone in the Senate not afraid to break some heads to get things done. Why can’t we have a Republican Lyndon Johnson when we need one?
Because our Republican Senate is so weak, President Bush cannot rely on them for much. He could not have gotten majority support in this current Senate for any judicial nominee that would have made us proud. The usual suspects have made it clear to the President that any nominee who would have put their re-election prospects at risk would vote against that nominee. The bottom line, is that the Republican Senate is made up of too many who want the job, but not the work. The only job they see before them is that of getting re-elected to another six year term.
Luttig, McConnell, JRB, Owen, Alito, or anyone else you want to name, would have been defeated, and probably defeated in committee, in order to save other Senators from having to vote them down on the floor. Of this, I am now convinced. Only two names were considered allowable for Senate confirmation; Miers and Gonzales. When Bush met with Senators, he was reportedly told that these two names were the only ones that stood a chance to be confirmed, but Gonzales would face pointed questions about Abu Gharab, Gitmo, and the administration’s policy on torture. It would have been ugly, but he would have been confirmed against the added damage done by dejected a dejected conservative base, and liberal attacks on the President’s agenda. There would have also had to be a new search for an Attorney General, which would have been just as ugly.
Had Bush put up selections that would have been defeated, the chorus of ‘Lame Duck’ chanting coming out of Washington would have drowned out the President’s agenda. A defeat in the Senate would have also signaled to Congress that they were on their own, and no longer had to back up, support, or even listen to President Bush. They would have been free to play the political-calculation game that the Democrats have been playing for 6 years; avoiding tough votes that would be used against them in a future campaign.
So, what’s the bottom line?
The bottom line is that Bush did his best to give us what we want, in a way that will not hurt the prospects of the Conservative agenda. The primary thing that must be considered, is that the Congress can NEVER be put back in Democrat hands, for that would destroy all progress made up to now. Our day will come, but this aint it. If we had a Republican Senate made up of real patriots without the odd liberal in Republican clothing, things would be a lot better.
In Miers, Bush has clearly taken what he can get, and our best hope now is for another vacancy on the court before this administration’s term is up. The current makeup of the Congress will just not allow our agenda to be passed at this time without major sacrifices and pragmatic thinking to overcome the inherit weakness of having traitors in our midst.
It appears to me that Harriet Miers is the best CONFIRMABLE candidate for the Supreme Court at this time. This fact is not the fault of the President. Indeed it is OUR fault. It is us who have supported less than the best candidates for the Senate. We are responsible for Chaffee, Snowe, McCain, Graham, Lott, Frist and other persons of questionable courage. We should not be blaming Bush for our own votes. We selected the people that the President must rely upon to move his agenda forward. If they are losers, then he loses too.
Though they literally suck, we are stuck with these people because we must keep the majority to keep our agenda alive. There have been worse moments for us, but none would be worse than than the day we lose the Senate our House majorities. I now believe that although Bush disapointed many of us, that he did the very best he could do without destroying our momentum.
Yes, like Rush Limbaugh said, it was a choice made from weakness.
But the thing to remember, is that it was not Bush’s weakness, but our own, and that of the people we have elected to Congress that made this happen. Had they been strong, Bush could have selected anyone we wanted.
Because of what I now know about how and why Harriet Miers was selected, I withdraw my earlier statements against her, my statements suggesting anything less than my strong support of the President, and finally, my self imposed exile from Free Republic.
Pukin Dog is back, so deal with it.
Hear, hear. I knew this would become a talking point.
Surely it does sometimes. But not always.
Are you able to consider something outside of your little worldview?
If so, I'll share my reason for saying welcome to the jovial cad.
And we play their game. Not two minutes ago on this board on another of the never ending Harriet threads the following was posted..
Quote "does anybody know anything about her personal life?" Unquote.
Charming. This has got to stop. Makes you long for the days when dueling was legal.
Got a link to your analysis?
I'm not ragging on you - but it just seems to me - if GWB doen't want to appear a lame duck, then he should quit acting like one. We didn't get control of the House and Senate by hiding our intentions - we did it by stating them and acting accordingly. This whole SCOTUS thing has us acting like Democrats, hiding our intentions and I for one am not happy about it.
Perhaps, but I did not imply such. You did.
There's nothing fuzzy about 5-2=3.
That is the only context I've ever seen it used in, but whatever. Go on with your "principled" self....
Your point about the "data mining" being too good intrigues me. Wouldn't that be profoundly embarrassing if one of our picks found themselves shattered by personal and revealing information while they sat before the committee? I can hear certain freepers now,"Why didn't Bush know about this, etc?"
What bothers me is how his critics (Freepers included) kept saying "we have 55 senators, use them." Guess what folks, we don't have 55 Republican senators who share our conservative worldview and these intangibles are the kind of things President Bush is struggling against. He knows if he will win or lose. He's made his most winning move. Thanks for your input. It's very helpful.
But, I think we will see the conservative pundits start falling for this, one by one.
We are weak.
Conservatism may not be dead, but it is going back into hibernation.
wow, two replies to my one post...just admit your mistake :)
Clear as a bell. If I knew you already read and commented on it I wouldn't have directed you to it.
no way you should.
Remember around that time?
People here were defending the decision to support specter over toomey because "if we didn't, specter wouldn't support the president when he needed it".
Now, specter has his job for anohter 6 years and we're told we can't put up conservative judges because we have RINOs like specter in the senate.
I guess detecting contradictions isn't some peoples strong suit.
Don't forget, the GOP kicks you in the ass for questioning its tactics. At least the FR contingent of the GOP hasn't learned manners and "how to win friends and influence enemies." It's you fault for not falling in line, the party has no obligation or duty.
You're my brother my another mother, Dog. I flew off the handle at you the other day because you flew off the handle over this nomination.
Now that anyone with a brain has had a chance to simmer down, this whole nomination can become a little clearer.
What you've heard makes sense to me. I can't imagine anybody with any sense of dignity and self-respect wanting to endure the humiliation of what confirmation hearings have become. Plus, if they so much as banged a cheerleader after Homecoming of their Senior year of high school, Oppo Research will find out about it.
I want Miers to do well in the hearings; there's no reason to think she won't.
But, if she doesn't, that could sink her, and likely should. But she at least deserves a hearing.
save
You come at this from the inside baseball standpoint. I come at it from the standpoint that Miers WILL follow and respect the law, rather than rewrite it. That is, after all, the Scalia-Thomas position.
So I think this will be a double win. She will be confirmed, and she will be an "originalist."
Regarding your comments about Senator Spector, there is a solution to that problem. I expect the Republicans to gain either two or four seats in the Senate in 2006. Then, when the new Congress meets, the Committees will be reshuffled, and Spector can be given a brass plaque on a back bench. And THEN, some serious conservatives can be named, and CONFIRMED, to replace the likes of Ginsburg and Stevens.
We come at it from different directions. But we reach the same point on this nomination.
Congressman Billybob
Latest column: "Hillary Knew, David Knew, Only the Post Reporter Was in the Dark"
" But, I think we will see the conservative pundits start falling for this, one by one."
We will know at 12pm Eastern time monday, I guess. ;)
It will always amaze me just how many Bush supporters have disregarded HIS opinion in place of their own without even the slightest analysis.
I've said this all along: Bush is quarterbacking a team that is only putting 8 members on offense and 5 members on defense.
If you have a weak offensive line and no defense, guess what? The quarterback has to adjust the plays.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.