Howard Dean / DNC Press Release on Miers Withdrawl

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Statement by Howard Dean on the Withdrawal of Harriet Miers' Supreme Court Nomination

10/27/2005 1:15:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Karen Finney of the Democratic National Committee, 202-863-8148

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement on the announcement that White House Counsel Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court:

"President Bush's failure to stand up to the right wing of his party and defend Harriet Miers is the latest collapse of leadership at the Bush White House.

"In nominating Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, President Bush had an obligation to do everything possible to support her. President Bush failed in that duty, leaving the Miers nomination to die on the vine. He failed to respond to the many legitimate questions raised about Miers' qualifications, and refused to release documents or disclose vital information that could have shed light on her qualifications. While I had serious questions about her qualifications, she at least deserved an opportunity to make her case to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Now, the President says he plans to move swiftly to fill this seat. As he considers his next nominee, the President should not cave to the right wing again. He should nominate someone who every American can trust to protect their fundamental rights and freedoms, and he should honor his obligation to consult with Senate Democrats."

---

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, http://www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=55715

[hippiechick]

1. Now that's a masterful spin !

"Bush's failure to stand up to the Right Wing..."
and
"... she at least deserved an opportunity to make her case to the Senate Judiciary Committee."


:rofl: Have I told you lately that I love you, Dr. Dean ?!?!?!

[YDogg]

4. I think that's only half spin ...

He did fail to stand up to the right wing. Never mind that the nomination was dead from the beginning, and it would have done him no good.

[hippiechick]

6. Right, but what I meant was ...

... that while the Dems were none to thrilled with Harriet either, we're spinning her abdication as being at the hands of 'those nasty religious fanatics' .... and putting the spotlight squarely on them, their raving intolerance & excessive influence for once.

We would have tanked her if given the chance, but it was *them* who offed her before we had to step up to the plate. We're just not mentioning that part of it ...

[YDogg]

17. I concur ...

... and share your enthusaism for the good Doctor.

[mzmolly]

7. Ya gotta love it!

:hi:

[rodeodance]

2. collapse of leadership at the Bush White House.'-- yup (if there ever was

any).

[rodeodance]

3. nominated

[NoPasaran]

5. Overall I think the Democrats have played this very well

Allowing the wingnuts to destroy Miers was a good strategy.
:dem:

[ginnyinWI]

8. yes--credit goes to Reid and the rest of the leadership

No more "party of No."

[Gronk Groks]

10. Told you Harry was smarter than you thought...

...embracing the nominee was the kiss of death.

She never even felt the knife slid in...

[Orion The Hunter]

9. That is some good spin...even Rove would be proud! - eom

[NYCGirl]

11. Yeah, and we didn't have to lie and smear like Rove to do it!

:kick:

[Stinky The Clown]

12. Perfect ..... absolutely perfect

Harry Reid said something similar earlier today.

I saw Shumer and Boxer on teevee today and they' too' are singing from the same song sheet, in pitch perfect harmony.

This is just soooooooo good!

[Lowell]

13. Dr Dean is Great!

This was pretty effortless. The Republicans did it to them selves. It is fun watching them self destruct and eat their own dead. The Democrats in congress didn't even have to dirty their hands with the nomination process.

[JNelson6563]

14. Dean, takin' it to 'em. Again.

Give 'em hell Howie! :toast:

Julie

[Totally Committed]

15. Absolutely masterful! eom

[Mass]

16. Great statement\nt

[xkenx]

18. What a Refreshing Change From Terry McAwful

Thank you, Howard Dean. We have found a strong, "tell it like it is" voice at the DNC.

[NYCGirl]

20. Speaking of the former DNC Chairman, it seems he's shooting off his mouth

without knowing where the party is...

www.wonkette.com

When asked by Wolf Blitzer, "What do the Democrats do now?" Terry McAuliffe was quick to dust off one of those hoary talking points that he used to astounding effect all those years he was directing his party to the pinnacles of electoral glory that they now so richly enjoy: "We just have to keep putting out our positive message."

Really? Because here's the positive message I hear being put out by Democrats today: The radical right-wing sleestaks that stalk this land hopped up on quasi-Christian kookdom and stronger than ever, have beaten the President into supine submission on Miers and are slavering at the mouth for satisfaction. Oh! And did we mention that it was our guy, Harry Reid, who was the one that suggested Miers in the first place! Yeah, that was us. Make sure you get that down.

Boy, it's kind of hard to not be just awash in positivity when you hear news like that. Are we missing something here? Weren't perfectly normal, rational, mainstream Americans just as opposed to the Miers nomination because they all remembered that the last time a patently unqualifed Bush crony made the news, he was leafing through the Baton Rouge Zagats while an entire city crapped themselves in the hallway of the Superdome?

So while the Democrats go miles out of their way to avoid connecting with a moderate, mainstream groundswell, Bush will probably come away with higher approvals for pulling the plug on a nominee that sentient Americans saw as unqualified, and he gets indictments out of the headlines until Trash Day to boot. When the Democrats say "we can do better", man, they are not kidding.

[loudsue]

19. THIS is the really great part of Dean's statement:

"He failed to respond to the many legitimate questions raised about Miers' qualifications, and refused to release documents or disclose vital information that could have shed light on her qualifications. While I had serious questions about her qualifications, she at least deserved an opportunity to make her case to the Senate Judiciary Committee."

Dean must have been aware of the paper trail that would have lead to Mier's connections to the boosh/Tex. National Guard fiasco, and I'm sure that would have been a glorious three-act play during the confirmation hearings.

:rofl: Boosh sure couldn't let any of that come out, now, could he?

:kick::kick::kick:

[realFedUp]

21. Embarrassing behavior from Republicans again

Good statement from DNC.