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Conservatives Will Regret the Miers Withdrawal
Washington Post via Real Clear Politics ^ | 10/28/05 | E. J. Dionne Jr.

Posted on 10/28/2005 4:30:00 AM PDT by linkinpunk

Edited on 10/28/2005 6:49:30 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

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.


(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dionne; harrietmiers; regret; scotus
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To: palmer
It's hard to escape the conclusion that EJD is gloating.

That is what he wants you to think anyway... Liberals lost their game of “Old Maid.”

41 posted on 10/28/2005 4:49:46 AM PDT by Sir Francis Dashwood (LET'S ROLL!)
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To: SkyPilot

The part I love most about libs is.....they have no rules and they scream bloody murder anytime they can accuse conservatives of imperfect adherence to principals...principals btw which they define. What crap. If the rules are that we must live under a judicial junta then we better by God begin to put people in on our side or give it all up. They hate it when we finally tumble to the "rules" and start to play. Hypocrit, hypocrit, liar liar.Jeeez its like junior high.


42 posted on 10/28/2005 4:50:09 AM PDT by cb
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To: linkinpunk

Yeah...........

He's right on all of it...


Much of it I have said all night long...

But I take it to it's conclusions and the eventual effects on the elections forthcoming. It won't be a happy time....


43 posted on 10/28/2005 4:50:17 AM PDT by Cold Heat
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To: linkinpunk
It had nothing at all to do with 'packing' the Court.

Did he write such an article when X42 chose Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Breyer......of course not.

Nice to see they don't have the brains to shut up!

44 posted on 10/28/2005 4:50:57 AM PDT by OldFriend (G-D IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION)
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To: Huck

Liberals back to complaining? This article basically spoke the truth as much as it may hurt.


45 posted on 10/28/2005 4:51:48 AM PDT by joesbucks
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To: linkinpunk
Conservatives displayed absolutely no deference to Bush when he picked someone they didn't like.
E.J. Dionne is an idiot as usual.
Every Republican member in the senate was respectful of Miers. Lots of people had questions about her qualifications and the quality of the choice. That is what the Senate should be focusing on. That is the right area of inquiry.

Miers withdrew because the White House was not going to release the documents the Senate needed to evaluate Miers. It had nothing to do with whether anyone "liked" her or not.

Conservatives did a great thing by engaging in a mature discussion about the qualifications of a Supreme Court nominee, as opposed to applying an ideological litmus test. We all expect the Democrats to now give the same consideration to qualification just as Republicans have done with this and every nominee, including Clinton's two acceptably qualified Supreme Court choices.
 
46 posted on 10/28/2005 4:52:00 AM PDT by counterpunch (JRB in '05 = GOP in '06)
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To: linkinpunk
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.

It seems to me the Dionne is mixing his issues. I wasn't concerned about HM because of any of her opinions on issues. As far as I know she is rock-solid on her stance against judicial activism and rock-solid on her stance on abortion, states' rights, and stare decisis. I was concerned because the SCOTUS is not a place for pro-am teams. Only pros should play. And there is no evidence that HM is a pro.

Having a great set of football plays is of absolutely no use if your players have no talent. Having all the right opinions about important issues or judicial philosophy would do HM no good if she couldn't back them up when discussing cases with the rest of the justices.

IMHO, HM wasn't borked for her opinions or for Executive Privilege. She was borked because her resume doesn't show she is an expert on Constitutional law. That's a minimum requirement for a SCOTUS appointment. And verifying that a candidate meets the minimum requirements, not that he/she has the right opinions or philosophies, is what advice and consent is supposed to be about.

Shalom.

47 posted on 10/28/2005 4:53:18 AM PDT by ArGee (So that's how liberty dies, with thunderous applause. - Padme Amidala)
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To: saveliberty
Thanks for those links. One quote from a contributor bears posting:

Always remember that after Bork, we got Kennedy. And that Thomas was a "stealth nominee." The words "the next Souter" are tossed around like the words "the next Vietnam." We know that it will never happen again, because the Perfect Storm of problems can never come to pass short of a Chaos Theory-related disaster. There will be no next Souter. And really, we knew a lot about Souter. By all accounts, prior to his nomination, Souter was staunchly pro-life. Once the ascend the Throne, there is no telling where they could go, though its doubtful the direction would be right, based on the need for accolades, generally showered only by left-leaning institutions

48 posted on 10/28/2005 4:53:21 AM PDT by dawn53
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To: Iowa Granny

No matter who is at fault, the White House for nominating her, the pundits for complaining so visciously about her, or our own Republican leadership who weren't going to support her, there is no getting away from the fact that this has hurt not just the administration but the party.

It's not been our finest hour and I've watched as people on this forum and in Congress have engaged in the same things we complain the democrats do.


49 posted on 10/28/2005 4:54:09 AM PDT by Peach (I believe Congressman Weldon.)
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To: dawn53

You're welcome.

It's tough work to bridge the gap and it is important to get an understanding of the different views in order to do it.


50 posted on 10/28/2005 4:55:54 AM PDT by saveliberty (I did not break the feed. I may have lost it, but I did not break the feed.)
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To: irons_player

****"‘conservatives” in So Cal" Where?***
__________________________________________________
Actually, there are large pockets of them. Simi Valley, for instance (home of the Reagan Library) is extremely conservative. I know because my sister & Bro-in-law live there. And, there are many well-orgainized Freepers there.



51 posted on 10/28/2005 4:56:20 AM PDT by Mayflower Sister
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To: 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.

It does not matter a whit now!

Bush is now officially a lame duck. he can try, but all he will do is make it worse.

If he makes the far right happy, he will lose the center. If he makes the center happy, he further infuriates a totally messed up right wing. in the end, all he can do is protect his legacy, and travel a lot. he had a lot more to do! It's all screwed now.

It's all over but the death rattle.

I'm long looking to 08......It will be a hoot!

52 posted on 10/28/2005 4:58:17 AM PDT by Cold Heat
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To: linkinpunk
Its E.J Dionne who doesn't understand conservatives and never will. We were insisting the President pick a qualified nominee. We would settle for nothing less. If he spins that as a defeat, its hard to see what he would call a victory. As a liberal, its not his place to wish us well.

("Denny Crane: Gun Control? For Communists. She's a liberal. Can't hunt.")

53 posted on 10/28/2005 4:58:51 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: dawn53

No she wasn't! This is the most important point of all! "Pit bull in size 6 shoes?" You'd think she'd let a little criticism stop her? Dubya, the man who pushes through hell or high water regardless of widespread dissent from enemies and allies? The last thing either of these trwo di is cave to criticism. We'd be fighting terrorists here in America under the Kerry presidency if Dubya caved that easily.

The only reason she is no longer the nominee is because of "ex priv". The process Borked her. Even without widespread opposition, the Senators would still not vote for her because of insufficient info.


54 posted on 10/28/2005 4:58:56 AM PDT by Killborn (Pres. Bush isn't Pres. Reagan. Then again, Pres. Regan isn't Pres. Washington. God bless them all.)
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To: linkinpunk

Read Mier's resignation and Dubya's acceptance. If it were from the opposition, it'd say so. Spin , CYA, and excusemaking are characteristics of the toons, not this Admin.


55 posted on 10/28/2005 5:00:25 AM PDT by Killborn (Pres. Bush isn't Pres. Reagan. Then again, Pres. Regan isn't Pres. Washington. God bless them all.)
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To: Teacher317
"Mr. Dionne doesn't realize that the Senate has a different Constitutional function than voters?"

Well put. I was struggling with how to say the same thing. GWB is beholden to the people that elected him, but not to the Senate nor the liberals therein.
56 posted on 10/28/2005 5:00:34 AM PDT by GOP_Party_Animal
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To: Peach
It's not been our finest hour and I've watched as people on this forum and in Congress have engaged in the same things we complain the democrats do.

Yes. And it will make it even more difficult to get the next one approved.

How do we plead rightous indignation when the Dems start pounding the next nominee with questions?

57 posted on 10/28/2005 5:02:19 AM PDT by Iowa Granny (I am not the sharpest pin in the cushion but I can draw blood.)
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To: Iowa Granny

No way to do it. And the politics of personal destruction, which used to be owned by the Democrats, is now shared equally by Republicans.


58 posted on 10/28/2005 5:03:40 AM PDT by Peach (I believe Congressman Weldon.)
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To: Cold Heat

The other editorial I agree with was one I read yesterday that claimed conservatives simply want a candidate who will be a "poke in the eye" to Democrats.

I think that is what many were looking for.

They want the fight with the dems as much as they want a conservative justice.


59 posted on 10/28/2005 5:04:36 AM PDT by linkinpunk
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To: austinite

Why did Kerry get the second largest vote count? Why is there not a greater uproar over Miers, borders, big government or anything? We've got a lot of mods and republicans and conservatives who are not in any way shape or form as conservative as us. If we were truly the majority, the uproar would be so loud I'd hear it.

A frightening number of Americans couldn't even name Miers current position, her nominated position, and the fact that she has withdrawn even if they have to get the answers correct on pain of death. We have a long way to go. To get a true majority, wwe have to unbrainswash the mods and enlighten the base what true republicanism/conservatism is about.


60 posted on 10/28/2005 5:04:57 AM PDT by Killborn (Pres. Bush isn't Pres. Reagan. Then again, Pres. Regan isn't Pres. Washington. God bless them all.)
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