Miers: The only Exit Strategy

[Bernardo de La Paz]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001635.html

Miers: The Only Exit Strategy

By Charles Krauthammer

Friday, October 21, 2005; Page A23

It's no secret that I think the Harriet Miers nomination was a mistake. Nonetheless, when asked how she will do in her confirmation hearings, my answer is, I hope she does well. I have no desire to see her humiliated. Nor would I take any joy in seeing her rejected, though I continue to believe it would be best for the country that she not be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

And while I remain as exercised as anyone by the lack of wisdom of this choice, I part company with those who see the Miers nomination as a betrayal of conservative principles. The idea that Bush is looking to appoint some kind of closet liberal David Souter or even some rudderless Sandra Day O'Connor clone is wildly off the mark. The president's mistake was thinking he could sneak a reliable conservative past the liberal litmus tests (on abortion, above all) by nominating a candidate at once exceptionally obscure and exceptionally well known to him.

<snip>

That creates a classic conflict, not of personality, not of competence, not of ideology, but of simple constitutional prerogatives: The Senate cannot confirm her unless it has this information. And the White House cannot allow release of this information lest it jeopardize executive privilege.

Hence the perfectly honorable way to solve the conundrum: Miers withdraws out of respect for both the Senate and the executive's prerogatives, the Senate expresses appreciation for this gracious acknowledgment of its needs and responsibilities, and the White House accepts her decision with the deepest regret and with gratitude for Miers's putting preservation of executive prerogative above personal ambition. Face saved and we start again.

[NVMojo]

1. ...she won't withdraw ...* will not be able to save face ...

she lives to serve him and his face ...pardon the pun or whatever ...

[Demeter]

2. She's Been Humiliated A Lot Already

just not enough. And it's been self-inflicted, too.

[rfkrfk]

3. Miers out, replace with --> veteran federal judge Pricilla Owen,

is that an improvement?

[Neil Lisst]

4. It's the new mantra from the right - Miers will withdraw her name ...

... to save the president, allegedly. It's the craptastic line by the rightwingers the past 24 hours. Fox News is hitting it hard.

Sadly, it may work. I believe she will withdraw her name. The word on meetings with Senators is she disappointed big time, all of them.

Watch him come right back with Edith Jones or Priscilla Owens.

[Neil Lisst]

5. Dr. Strangehammer, I presume?

Krauthammer is as nutty as a fruitcake, and about as useful.

He's like a sober version of Hitchens.


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