WP: Nomination Was Plagued By Missteps From the Start

[kskiska]

Friday, October 28, 2005; Page A01

For Harriet Miers, the "murder boards" were aptly named. Day after day in a room in the Justice Department, colleagues from the Bush administration grilled her on constitutional law, her legal background and her past speeches in practice sessions meant to mimic Senate hearings.

Her uncertain, underwhelming responses left her confirmation managers so disturbed they decided not to open up the sessions to the friendly outside lawyers they usually invite to participate in prepping key nominees.

It was clear that Miers was going to need to "hit a grand slam homer" before the Senate Judiciary Committee to win confirmation to the Supreme Court, as one adviser to the White House put it. "Her performance at the murder boards meant that people weren't confident she'd get the grand slam."

(snip)

"All of us who were supporting the White House on this expressed that we have a job here; this isn't a cakewalk," said Jay Sekulow, another lawyer advising the Bush team on the Miers nomination. Others flatly protested and warned against naming her.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102702398.html

[Aimah]

1. Brownie played a part.

Although there have been previous Judges that did not have previous experiences she was called out on this. I think if Micheal Browns previous record never came up Harriet's wouldn't have been the starting issue.

[spindrifter]

2. While the Brownies

of this admin. certainly played a part in making the WH get shy about H's nomination, you just cannot discount the fact that there is plenty of intellectual snobbery among the fed. judges. And then there is the basic fact that she has never had any significant experience working with the Constitution. All of that, plus the shenanigans the Conservatives engaged in left H up a crick, as they might say in Tx.

[pinto]

3. That's an understatement, if I ever heard one. She was a pathetic choice.

I almost feel sorry for her ga-ga attitude about her boss...but just almost.

What's more interesting to me is that this may have been Busboy's solo decision - for whatever reason. If so, it's a telling statement to *his* depth of independent management skills...