Conservatives Will Regret the Miers Withdrawal

Washington Post via Real Clear Politics ^ | 10/28/05 | E. J. Dionne Jr.

[linkinpunk]

By E. J. Dionne Jr.

WASHINGTON -- The damage President Bush and the conservative movement have inflicted on their drive to pack the U.S. Supreme Court with allies will not be undone by Harriet Miers' decision to withdraw her nomination.

[Huck]

With the liberals back to complaining, maybe things can go back to normal now.

[BibChr]

...Bush single-handedly undercut the conservatives' long-standing claim that the Senate and the rest of us owed great deference to a president's choice for the court. Conservatives displayed absolutely no deference to Bush when he picked someone they didn't like. The actual conservative ``principle'' was that the Senate should defer to the president's choice -- as long as that choice was acceptable to conservatives. Some principle

Hate to say it but, except in directly blaming Bush, he's not wrong. Just what the much-slandered (here) Hugh Hewitt predicted.

Dan
Biblical Christianity BLOG

[armydawg1]

If we get to the point of regreting the Miers withdrawal, there will be political blood on the front lawn of the white house. This is a chance for the President to mend fences and start over. I hope he uses it that way.

[sure_fine]

in alot of ways, there are alot people in office, who also shows signs of having a problem with authority

[Killborn]

OMG, it's starting. The Dems will be screaming this from the rooftops and we'll look like hypocrites.

We need to spread the truth, ASAP: Miers was done in by executive privilege. Had it not been for that, she'd still be the frontrunner.

And just to cement the stakes involved, this enlightening conversation on polipundit:

Poster 1: Like many have posted above, I believe NOW is the time to rally the Republican Party and all other Conservatives by nominating someone we can rally around!

Poster 2: Sorry…I am not in a mood to rally at the moment. I thought my party meant it when they cried for years that EVERY nominee deserves an up or down vote. What I learned over the past several weeks is that for the most part we are hypocrites and I want NOTHING to do with that way of thinking.
I remain firm behind the President as I have been all along. I have no time nor inclination to to stand around those who have been so nasty in their judgement of HM. Color me disillusioned, disappointed, and utterly discouraged. I will not be doing any rallying any time soon. You guys may have won the battle but when it comes time to work hard in 2006 and 2008 you lost. you can count me out along with many of us ‘conservatives” in So Cal. I know I am far from being alone in my position, sadly.
Good luck to you all in the next SCOTUS war. I am sitting it out.

[Huck]

Yeah, but I think this is yet another HAPPY result of all of this. The "deference" argument was crapola anyway. Good to see it going overboard. Good riddance.

[cynicom]

Back in history I do not recall the far left wing liberals ever refusing to accept any nominee put forth by democrats.

[SIDENET]

By E. J. Dionne Jr.

[austinite]

I am sitting it out.

Need a kleenex, Putz?

[frankjr]

It appears that those most upset about the Mier's withdrawl are the lefties.

[linkinpunk]

Yeah, I don't care for Dionne's sanctimonious, East-coast elitism, but there is a lot in this article that is right on.

[Always Right]

Conservatives Will Regret the Miers Withdrawal

I regret that she had to withdraw but I regretted more that she was appointed in the first place.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

WHERE IS THE PROJECTILE PUKE ALERT???

[palmer]

It's hard to escape the idea that with special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald breathing down the administration's neck

It's hard to escape the conclusion that EJD is gloating.

[saveliberty]

And then maybe not

http://alamonation.blogspot.com/2005/10/reaction-to-miers-bow-out.html

http://polipundit.com/wp-comments-popup.php?p=10844&c=1#comments

[dawn53]

Color me disillusioned too, on the double standard that was set forth by the vocal loud mouth punditry and the masses that followed.

They can spin it any way they want but Miers was "borked" because she did not pass a litmus test...but I guess it's okay for the conservatives to have a litmus test, even though they demand the Dems don't. (end/sarcasm)

[saveliberty]

I really don't think that was helpful

[linkinpunk]

Miers was done in by executive privilege.

Miers was done in by Kristol/Coulter/Limbaugh/Frum/etc.

These are the people who stand to make money in TV appearances, ARBITRON ratings, book sales, speaking engagements, etc. if there is a bloody Senate fight.

[Killborn]

Ain't me. But I'm sure a whole lot of other people feel the same. One of the earliest lesson I learned from FR is that we are no where near the majority. I think a lot of Republicans and conservatives either support her or have a wait and see attitude. The perception is that she was issued a litmus test and Borked.

Of course, that's not true. We wouldn't even be discussing this article if it weren't for documents and conversations between the Pres. and Miers protected under executive privilege.

In other words, she was Borked by the Separation of Powers between the Executive and Legislative branch. We didn't reject her or force her withdrawal. The process did.

Pass it on.