I agree. It's also cover for the President regarding his poor choice. Nice way to float it around with NO documentation. I want to see a well researched article with names of the candidates who withdrew and comments from some or all of them.
It is not a poor choice, it was a brilliant display of strategy by President Bush. As I have said in other posts: when the Gang of 14 Senators emerged, we had an unpredictable situation in the Senate. There was no assurance that the Republicans could overcome a filibuster. After the Roberts confirmation, the DemonRATs vowed that they would not let the next nominee have an easy confirmation. Translation: scorched earth war. In this political climate, the main bench of prospects would not have been confirmed; especially with the paper trail the left has predictably used to hang conservative candidates. You will remember Justice Clarence Thomas complaining that he was being hit with "a high-tech lynching." This is why President Bush was so wise to go stealth. The stealth tactic is a tool. It is a weapon with which we can win. You will also know that Presidents Nixon and Bush (senior) used stealth nominees for the bench--for the same reason as W is doing now. It is successful strategy. Just look at John Roberts.
We all need to take a step back for a moment, and take a few deep breaths, stand up, put our hands on our hearts, and say the following words: "Miss Miers is a brilliant expert in the law and her nomination by President Bush was a brilliant stroke of genius." There. I hope we are all healed.
The stealth tactic is also a double-edged sword. It has an advantage for the nominee who wants to concentrate on an offense rather than a defense. However, those who want to defend her have little ammunition. Until Miss Miers comes forth and proves with what she says in the confirmation hearings, that she has the intellectual clout to be a good supreme court justice, we will have limited information. That is the flaw in the strategy that puts forth a stealth nominee. If we can think of the stealth strategy as a weapon for the other side to be sliced and diced and, at the same time, avoid having our side catch a blade, we will be successful.
This is something that demands good swordsmanship.
That is why they declined, to keep people from snooping in their business any longer. Look at the lies that were spewed against the nominee by the so-called allies. They have said nicer things about Bin Laden.