It is not what we don't know, it is what we do know. She is a Democract. Look at her campaign donation history. Even if correct, this is a horrible choice politically. The President will never get his detractors to support him, and he is losing popularity among those who support him. Regardless of how this works out, this choice will not help.

Three words for this pick:

Rope.a.dope.

I think Miers' nomination might be a political strategy of sacrificing her to get a more conservative nominee confirmed later.

For instance, she apparently submitted the following report to the ABA's House of Delegates. Here are two of the report's recommendations:

Supports the enactment of laws and public policy which provide that sexual orientation shall not be a bar to adoption when the adoption is determined to be in the best interest of the child. ...

Recommends the development and establishment of an International Criminal Court.

Jason,

Later? When is later? Who says he is going to have another pick. With her age, she is as likely as almost anyone else to retire.

SBulka - I think Jason means that Miers will be used as a sacrifice to the Democrats and their filibuster. Once they filibuster, the Constitutional Option will be exercised and then with only 51 votes needed for cloture and confirmation, President Bush could nominate Bork and get him confirmed, as the Democrats would be helpless to stop it.

The Dems would be nuts to fillibuster Miers. Are you kidding me? They couldn't do better than her.

I think GWB has betrayed his base for the last time. Instead of picking a strong, sound conservative for the Supreme Court, GWB picks nobody Harriet Miers.

Why doesn't Bush get some balls and pick someone that would please the people who elected him President twice?

We already have to tolerate his spend, spend, spend mentality.

Conservatives are now going to turn on him...they will look for a true conservative to vote for in 2008. If the Republicans nominate Rudi or McCain, there will be a third party "Perrot" type guy that will guarantee a win for the Democrats. I am very sure about this.

We have no one to stand up for us anymore....no one to represent us....we are the majority, yet the fact that the Dems and the MSM fight a better fight, we have to sit here and take it.

We made Republicans the majority in the House and Senate. Republicans hold all the power and give it up freely. They should be ashamed of themselves.

STOP BEING SCARED AND STAND UP FOR YOUR BASE!!!!!

I think GWB has betrayed his base for the last time.

Well, I think you don't even have a clue who his base is. You are laboring under the misconception that "his base" is a bunch of far-right activists. Not so, my friend, not so. Middle America is the base for this president. The far left hate him, and the far right continually complain about being betrayed. But the middle never does. Guess why? They like what he's doing. Every person I've heard or read today of some prominence who is criticizing this choice has some private agenda or is a far-right pol who was hoping for a red-meat choice.

They don't care that she's a conservative. They don't care that he trusts her judgement. All they care about is that fact he didn't nominate some right-wing ideologue who would be an activist just "righting" past liberal wrongs in a suit of shining armor. Not gonna happen. That has always been a fantasy of the far right - and in my nearly 60 years, every time someone on the right has tried it, they got "Borked."

Instead of picking a strong, sound conservative for the Supreme Court, GWB picks nobody Harriet Miers.

Your ignorance about who she is does not make are a nobody. She is highly respected in the legal community and has an extremely impressive resume. And Bush knows here so he knows her philosophy. That's enough for me.

Why doesn't Bush get some balls and pick someone that would please the people who elected him President twice?

Show me in the Constitution where is says that is what he should do. I'll wait....Huh, it doesn't. He's the president - he gets to pick. He's thinking about years from now when he's no longer in power what the impact to American jurisprudence will be. He's not trying to win some popularity contest - he's trying to do what he thinks is right.

We already have to tolerate his spend, spend, spend mentality.

Tolerate? Ok...

Conservatives are now going to turn on him...they will look for a true conservative to vote for in 2008.

Here's a clue for you: Bush isn't running in 2008. He doesn't care if you "turn on him." He's just trying to do what he thinks is right. You disagree? OK. But he's certainly not worried about stuff like polls and public opinion. You must have him confused with the Great Triangulator, Cigar Willie. One finger in the wind, his cigar....well.

If the Republicans nominate Rudi or McCain, there will be a third party "Perrot" type guy that will guarantee a win for the Democrats. I am very sure about this.

And you're helping to prevent that...how?

We have no one to stand up for us anymore....no one to represent us....we are the majority, yet the fact that the Dems and the MSM fight a better fight, we have to sit here and take it.

Oh yea, we're taking it. Dream on.

We made Republicans the majority in the House and Senate. Republicans hold all the power and give it up freely. They should be ashamed of themselves.

I'm sure they'll pass your comment around and feel the appropriate remorse ... Not.

STOP BEING SCARED AND STAND UP FOR YOUR BASE!!!!!

Like the Reverend above, those talking about "the base" don't have a clue. I'm a sixty year old white moderate-conservative woman who thinks everyone should shut up and wait to hear from Harriet Miers own mouth. The woman was listed as one of the top 100 lawyers in the country by the National Bar and she was President of the Bar in Texas and rose to the top of a 400 member law firm, so she must have something on the ball. She's been chief White House council and worked closely with the President, so he obviously has a good sense of who she is and the quality of her legal mind. And isn't that what is important here? Don't we all want a quality legal mind? Didn't we all get blown away in astonishment as we witnessed Roberts' brilliance and personality? We have no idea what's in store with Miss Harriet, but knowing GW, I'll bet he's counting on all of you underestimating him yet again.

PS: I'm moving my blog to a new server and redoing it in Moveable Type, so if there is any interuption in the next 48 hours, this is why.

We need to find 29+ Republican senators that will promise to defeat this nomination. Assuming the last 22 nay votes against Roberts are reliable... we can nix this nomination.

Then we can tell Bush to go back to the drawing board...

1) Too old
2) Too big of a crony
3) Too inexperienced
4) Too much affirmative action
5) Too many questions answered too late

We need to find 29+ Republican senators

What you meant to say was 29+ Right Wing Republican Senators. Good luck on that. I can tell you where to find at least 7 who would oppose them - ever hear of the "Gang of Seven?"

If you think that this nomination has a snowball's chance in Hell of being defeated, I want some of whatever it is that you're smokin'.

Ah... finally a dispute between the 'Reverend' and I... had to happen someday.

1) Don't smoke. I've never even tried 'the other cigarette'.
2) For all we know... Hell has frozen over. That snowball might just be fine.
3) So the snowball melts. What serious harm could it do? I think it would be a great litmus test for who to support in the upcoming elections and may clear up the 2008 presidential race. Bush isn't up for re-election; it's not going to harm him. The only issue would be if the Dem's are smart enough to vote for her 'enmass' to counteract the Conservative 'revolt'. I'd like to see it and so would a lot of 'the base' (and I know you don't like conservatives thinking they are the 'base' but thats my opinion and I know you have yours so we don't have to re-hash that).

Actually, I think some of the Gang of Seven could be included in this total if they are worried about Roe being overturned. All indications are that Miers is a born again evangelical christian personally and professionally against abortion.

If that was the sole issue in consideration, I think you could have 51+ votes against during confirmation if you collect the majority of Democrats and a minority of Republicans.

You made me think about something else though. It doesn't even have to come to confirmation. She could get booted from the committee... that would take even less votes.. just a few 'defections' on the R-side and a full/near-full rejection on the D-side would do it as well.