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“In a Month, Who Will Remember the Name Harriet Miers?”

October 27, 2005

Edith_clementTrent Lott said that this morning after Harriet Miers withdrew from the confirmation process to the Supreme Court. And Lott is right - her nomination won’t even be given the same amount of notoriety as Robert Bork’s. (Although that might be in part because she doesn’t have nearly as cool a last name. Plus, the word “borked” is just too much fun to use.)

But I for one think her reasons for withdrawing are a load of hooey! Protect the separation of powers, my ass! Miers’ nomination was designed specifically to destroy the separation of powers by giving the executive branch a buddy on the court. No, what’s going on here is a clear cut case of the administration trying to look like they haven’t screwed up royally - but I think most people see through it.

What remains to be seen is who Bush will nominate next. After all the trouble Miers caused - the country needs a quick confirmation. He should pick someone who is a no-brainer for both Democrats and Republicans to embrace as they did Roberts. He needs a thoughtful, intelligent conservative judge with a proven track record of understanding the nuances of each case and interpreting the Constitution strictly. Someone like…Edith Clement.

C’mon Georgie - she’s fantastic! She’s the obvious choice. If you nominate Gonzales, you’ll just get more accusations of cronyism. If you tap Janice Rodgers Brown or Priscilla Owen, you’ll face an uphill confirmation battle featuring the nuclear option. It will get ugly. And you can’t afford ugliness with your approval ratings the way they are. Clement is the logical choice.

Cle-MENT! Cle-MENT! Cle-MENT!

::can you tell I have a favorite?::

Written by Teresa Valdez Klein · Filed Under Current Affairs, Legal Issues, Miers Nomination 

Comments

6 Responses to ““In a Month, Who Will Remember the Name Harriet Miers?””

  1. T_M on October 27th, 2005 11:38 pm

    Well, since the Dems can’t kill a nomination, and the Republicans have just proven they can…

    Expect a strong Rightist ideologue with a fierce intelligence. It probably would have been better to have Miers in there.

  2. Teresa Valdez Klein on October 28th, 2005 7:31 pm

    I disagree. I think that in all likelihood, the President has just wasted his political capital on the Hill on a nominee that didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell.

    And his coattails are nowhere near as long as they used to be. If Senators are looking at a 2006 election year, they have to be thinking about their own interests - not the President’s.

    We could see him nominate someone really middle of the road just to get a fast confirmation.

  3. T_M on October 29th, 2005 2:05 am

    We’ll probably find out next week who is right…

  4. Teresa Valdez Klein on October 30th, 2005 3:38 pm

    Many political pundits disagree with you, TM. Check out this story in The New York Times.

    But to the degree that Mr. Bush chooses someone of unquestioned conservative credentials, he risks a confirmation battle with the Democrats. They will be disinclined to surrender when it comes to the seat being vacated by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a swing vote on abortion and other cultural issues.

    Moreover, a move to the right by the White House could cause problems for Republican lawmakers from moderate states, including some facing tough re-election campaigns next year. Democratic strategists said lawmakers in those states need more than a strong conservative base to win.

    Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, argued there was no easy political exit for the president. “If nominating a hard-core conservative served the president’s interests, why didn’t he do it the first two times?”

    Mr. Schumer added: “He knows that to feed red meat to his base undermines his standing with the American people. He may have to do it, but it would not be an act of strength.”

  5. T_M on October 31st, 2005 9:26 am

    Teresa, never underestimate the hubris of this White House. It’s business as usual as far as they’re concerned.

  6. Teresa Valdez Klein on October 31st, 2005 11:54 am

    I posted about that just last night…

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