Posted on 10/16/2005 6:40:03 PM PDT by quidnunc
The White House branded its increasingly vocal conservative critics as "cynical" yesterday as the dispute over President George W Bush's nomination of his official lawyer to the Supreme Court deepened.
Many Republicans have described Harriet Miers as unqualified for such an important job. They are lobbying for an ultra-conservative with an established judicial record.
Critics have seized on correspondence between Miss Miers and the Bush family to portray her as a lightweight.
Mr Bush's top aide, the White House chief of staff Andy Card, criticised the campaign by influential party figures to prevent Miss Miers's elevation to America's most powerful court.
"I'm a little surprised they came out of the box so cynically," he told a television interviewer.
The use of such language by a top Bush aide about prominent Republican party supporters was unprecedented, indicating a growing sense of desperation.
The White House has suffered a dire six weeks during which it has been criticised for the handling of Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq war and its legislative programme.
As Mr Bush's approval ratings have sunk to an all-time low, his chief strategist, Karl Rove, has faced questioning for his role in the leaking of a CIA agent's name.
To add to the Republican's woes, the party's "iron fist" in Congress, Tom DeLay, has been indicted for criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
He says the charges are politically motivated.
Newsweek magazine noted yesterday that the Bush administration was now being seen as "a political machine that has lost its bearings, and even its skill, in a whorl of war, hurricanes, scandal, internal strife and second-term ennui".
Such talk has increased the Bush team's determination not to suffer defeat on the Miers nomination. But many believe the case against her is already overwhelming.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Of what use is a 'victory' over your own base ? Clinton 'won' in NAFTA in defeating his own base but at the cost of a Democratic party that could not use economic populism to counter 'values' in retaining blue collar voters. As a result the Dems after NAFTA lost Congress and governorship after mayoralty.
The caller was right on target in how the pro-life community is exploited by conservative elite.
***
How about exploited by this administration by flaunting Miers' supposedly pro-life credentials?
I am pro-life and a housewife, pounding pavement mama and I agree with Rush. Miers possibly being pro-life does not EQUAL overturning ROE. I think you are going to be sorely disappointed if you think it does. I hope I'm wrong.
And if the Dems want to filibuster, let 'em. But make them speak non-stop, for weeks if necessary, with C-Span carrying every word. But, of course, the rules they want to play by means they just have to invoke the rule of filibuster, without having to actually speak. Make 'em talk. Incessantly! Then see which party ends up looking like the sane and reasoned one to the nation.
You know, I hadn't thought of that possibility. But it doesn't seem far fetched. Absent an outcry from the 2nd (or 3rd) tier media, the phony story would have kept riding along. I don't think the WH has a mechanism to defuse a run amok press. Or if it does, it doesn't use it.
Precisely.
He stood tall on the WOT and as result the world fears and respects him.
He caved on one domestic piece of legislation after another, saving Kyoto and taxes, and so he's been rolled time and again. He semi stood by appointments, but never went to the mat for them. This is why Bolton was recess appointed, and some judges still remain filibustered. It's also why he picked Meirs.
He's weak at home because he won't fight back. Except against his base.
This implies that conservatives (the "ideologically-driven") don't know beans about governance, and are naive in comparison to the practical, worldly-wise moderates; that conservatives lack sophistication. The usual thing said against the uncompromising by the compromising.
It certainly is if you are working for the impeachment of President Bush.
I give her about two years on the court to get a handle on the
mechanics. Then she will realize the enormous power of her position. Within 5 years she will be using it to further her
social liberalism views on affirmative action, gay agenda, etc. If you like O'Connor, you will love Meirs.
"Rush Limbaugh has been advancing the argument that a fight between Republicans is a good thing."
It certainly is if you are working for the impeachment of President Bush.
108 posted on 10/16/2005 10:31:33 PM CDT by af_vet_1981
Are you accusing Rush Limbaugh of working to get Bush impeached?
Can anyone name ten great moderates in American history?
Are you afraid he is going to take your job ?
He-Is-Fighting-His-own-Base.
Do you dispute this? Even when the board poll denotes division? It doesn't take 100% in opposition for this to be declared factual.
Practically no one is supportive of Meirs. The dividing line is some are willing to "Trust" the President, and some will not.
I, for one, will NOT trust the President to vouch for how a stranger to the rest of us will be twenty years from now. He is not God. That isn't a promise he can make.
The pro-life community is exploited by the Republican elite. See the last Senate race in Pennsylvania for an example.
That's quite an artful dodge! So yes, you are accusing Rush of trying to get Bush impeached.
"Nucular" bump!
LOL!!! ping to 108
Tell me. Many of us who are against Harriet voted for the POTUS and worked hard over two campaigns. After this Court fight, do you want all us Anti-Harriet types on your side, on the other side, or on the sideline?
If you feel like you might need us, treat us with respect and do not patrronize us. If you feel like you don't need us, please tell us. It might be good for us to see where we stand.
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