The Nomination

22 October 2005

It has been an interesting two weeks to say the least. President Bush nominates White House Counsel Harriet Miers to be Associate Justive of the Supreme Court. She would fill the seat of retiring justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The conservtive activists in the Republican party throw a fit over this nomination and blame the Group of 14, notably Lindsey Graham and John McCain for the lackluster nominee becasue they wanted a fight. They did not get their fight because McCain, Graham and 12 other senators forged a compromise. However, they blamed this group for the lackluster nomination eventhough everyone knows that George W Bush most likely would have named her anyway becasue he likes to promote those who are loyal to him.

Karl Rove assures Focus on the Family about Ms. Miers conservative credientials. At the same time that Dr. Dobson is praising Miers Senators like Graham can only call her a "solid pick" becasue they do not know much about her.

Senate Judiciary Committee members met with Miers last week to get to know her one-on-one. Last Tuesday Ms. Miers met with Lindsey Graham and he irritated conservatives when he said that they should "be quiet for a little while and listen." Sen Brownback also announced that he might vote against the nominee and refused to sign a pledge to support her while in Iowa.

Now Senators Brownback and Graham are demanding documents from Miers time as White House Council becasue they need more information before they can support her becasue "Trust Me" just isnt enough. The demand is coming from Republicans that are fully cognizant of what happened after Bush's father nominated David Souter in 1990 and he later turned liberal. Tey do not want this to happen again so they are trying to vet the nominee and there also is not enough of a record on Miers. Graham wants a way to defend the nomination other than religion. Her religion does not qualify her for the court and it is being used as a signal to conservative Christians about her stance on issues. This is inappropriate since there is no religious litmus test for office.

Since then information has come out about her stance on abortion, a hot button issue becasue of Roe v Wade(1973).  She also helped set up a lecture series at SMU, her almamater that brings liberal feminist speakers to campus. Finally yesterday she turned in her Judiciary Committee and it stated that she did not want the position. None the less the hearings begin on 7 November.