Posted on 10/14/2005 4:17:25 PM PDT by Stellar Dendrite
His defense seems generally non responsive to the charge of being inconsistent in application of principle.
He admits he set up some fairly objective standards that he expected to see in a nominee (age, time on the bench, etc.) but then says he supports Miers because he trusts the President. He goes on to rationalize the avoidance of a "filibuster battle" in the Senate, using the same arguments that are pretty well understood by all participants, by now.
In short, he doesn't deny that he dropped his principled standards.
That is the REAL objection that conservatives have regarding the Miers nomination and not the "elitist" red herring accusation of the RINO's. When one looks upon her foot prints left upon the beach of life, one finds that she favors her left foot. Miers would be a good nomination for a Democrat president to nominate in order to get by a (real) Republican senate.
As for Hugh Hewitt, he's a Nixonian.
Better than Bill, Bush could nominate HILLARY!(gag)
Hewey could claim that it was Bush's grand strategy to prevent Hillary from becoming president in '08 and putting her under the watchful gaze of Scalia, Thomas and Roberts at the same time. Hugh would then "repair to his abode", satisfied at his own genius.
No just one of the worst spelers in the upper mid west.
Example: I had to look up 'many' the other day.
Does anyone know if HH had ever stated that as a principle prior to applying it to Janice Rogers Brown?
If he hadn't, then I would wonder if his real objection to JRB is her judicial philosophy, rather than the reasons he gave.
See #305
"..which is to win the war (enduring conservative Republican power),.."
I don't think you understand that what a lot of us want is a conservative gvt - and we don't care what label they hang beneath it.
"I would like to read evidence as to why Harriet Miers is not brilliant."
I think the evidence, as it were, is basically that she attended a B list law school and didn't graudate at the top of her class. And while her career has certainly been respectable from the business persepective, she has yet to shine in any legal context.
I suppose its possible she just been "hiding her light under a basket" all these years, but at the age of 60 one would have question that assumption.
No one is saying she's a stooge, mind you. Just that she's not one of the best and brightest.
I understand that quite well, I just don't happen to believe in the third-party strategy as anything more than a counterproductive spoiler.
She did lead a fight within the ABA against the bar association's pro-abortion stance. As someone who works in academia, I know how hard it is to stand and fight against such ideological extremism. Honestly, that takes the cake for me.
I know that knowledge is ideologically constructed. Miers is not brilliant because Miers is not liberal.
It is that simple. Smart people support abortion. Smart people interpret the constitution as a living document. Smart people democrat.
I went to a B rate school myself. I think the elite leading the fight against Miers are going to get a reality check.
This is not Plato's Republic-- wake up.
"She did lead a fight within the ABA against the bar association's pro-abortion stance."
Have your read the particulars about that? It was actually a procedural battle regarding the ABA taking a statewide stand on anything at all. The stand might as well have been "we support pro bowling:.
"I know that knowledge is ideologically constructed."
Maybe in your eyes, but not to the rest of the world. Robert Bork is widely held to be a constitutional genius, and certainly he's no liberal.
"I went to a B rate school myself."
Sounds like you view a slap at Meirs as a slap at you. Please consider the extent to which that may bias you on this issue.
"This is not Plato's Republic-- wake up."
I'm wide awake.
Miers stand against ABA political stands-- including abortion-- is exactly the kind of person that would be good for the Court.
The legal establishment has made legal knowledge an ideological construct. The world's opinion is irrelevant. Bork is "dumb" because he does not get it. I don't like this anymore than anyone else but its not going to change by choosing the "smart" judge. Smart judges are sensitive to how their colleagues perceive their smartness.
This is not a debate about whether she should be confirmed. It is a debate about whether she should even be heard. It is ridiculous to assert that she lacks qualification to be heard by the judiciary committee.
If an "incompetent" judge issues rulings demolishing the Court's reckless behavior for the past 50 years-- I have no problem with that. Scalia is smart but notice that he is very careful about stare decisis. This is what gives him intellectual credibility. This is what keeps the Court's bogus opinions going. Stare decisis = smart. Stare decisis = a continuation of fradulent legal opinions.
"Smart judges are sensitive to how their colleagues perceive their smartness."
I don't agree with that characterization. To me, its less smart, less secure judges who are more likely to play to public opinion - specifically because they lack confidence in their own opinions.
I agree with you on that point.
I do think that Miers activism within ABA shows she is willing to challenge her colleagues in a way that would be detrimental to her perceived smartness. This is significant to me.
I wish the Senate were controlled by conservatives and we could approach this nomination differently. The Senate is the problem-- not Miers.
The illumination of indignation, not fires of hatred.
Your words are you? So, too, your nose, face, and hand?
Among that quartet there must be co-ordination, lest one or more be excised by slashing, burning, fiery . . .
Pique.
RAMONES!!!
Well, I'll say this...
The Ramones were cool!
LLS
Lol! What a great find!
Let me guess- they're usually people to his right?
Would you like cheese with your whine?
Medved is one of the "second thoughts" lefties who moved right when Ronald Reagan was President. But it looks like old habits die hard, and his liberal instincts rise up like Freddy Kreuger, going out to kill again...
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