suppose you know anyone you put up on the chopping block will be cut apart by the democrats. Do you put up the best qualified nominee?

Mole rats block the entry of thier underground dwellings from enemies by jamming it with the live body of a sacrificial family member. The corpse upon which the enemy feeds makes passage impossible. Harriet is the sacrificial rat to block the door.

Suppose she is torn apart by the senatorial committee. Imagine the sympathetic leg up the republicans get once they put up thier true nominee. "we gave you a woman, you said no. We gave you an evangelical, you said no. She is a successful lawyer, you said no. You democrats are incorrigible."

Harriet is the one possible nominee whose future career will not be destroyed by the ensuing democratic bendover session.

Harriet is not the Nominee. She's dogfood for the inevitable feeting frenzy. A bunt to get the runner on third into home base for the run.

~marlin

hey, if she can become a supreme court justice then maybe so can i. i mean, i once testified in a lawsuit. and once my mother was called up for jury duty. and i always follow the law except for speed limits. and i believe in god. so maybe i got a chance. sure would like a job for life. and since i'm 27 i can pretty much stick around like strom thurmond, maybe till i'm 110. in 83 years i can pretty much single-handedly change the law to suit my evil purposes.

sexism? please.

Laura Bush Joins President's Defense of Miers

Robert Bork was on the radio today (Day to Day, I think?) and was a little scary (sounds like the Darth Vader of the conservative movement) but also very specific about why he thinks Miers doesn't cut it. Interesting listening.

i love how roberts' faith was off limits during his nomination, but weeks later bush is talking openly about miers' faith to try to drum up support from the right for her nomination. hypocrisy?

standard operating procedure.

pure hypocrisy. who cares what her religion is. this Miers nomination is either:
a. a very poor choice
b. a pragmatic compromise, inspired by the damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't attitude
c. a Rovian plot to gin up the base (assuming Miers withdraws or gets voted down and a more serious candidate is nominated)

a or c. b just does not sound like bush, and if it is c, rove is not telling bush about his plans. a is most likely.

I saw in our building's elevator today the headline "Bush says religion had much to do with choosing Harriet Miers."

Bush better read the f'ing Constitution one of these days.

b. i. Miers shines in confirmation hearings, even brighter because of Bush mis/underselling her. (slowplay)

sing alonh to the ramones:

Well the GOP's all hopped up and ready to go
They're ready to go now
They've got their surfboards
And they're going to the discotheque a go go
But she just couldn't stay
She had to break away
Well New York City really has it all
Oh yeah, oh yeah

Harriet is a punk rocker
Harriet is a punk rocker
Harriet is a punk rocker now
She's a punk punk, a punk rocker
Punk punk, a punk rocker
Punk punk, a punk rocker

I knew it! She's withdrawing from the nomination today.

I am actually more happy about this than I am about the Sox winning the World Series, and I live in Chicago.

Machiavelli reincarnated! (♫ Roved again ♫)

or

...a distraction from today's report:
U.N. to Detail Kickbacks Paid for Iraq's Oil

She deserved the nomination about as much as I do.

Now, what will Bush do? If he nominates a man, does he risk looking like he knows a woman won't get confirmed? Were there any other woman on the list of potentials before Meirs was nominated?

The man/woman thing is a ludicrous standard to hold too. Who says this seat has to be filled by a woman? The more interesting debate is does he nominate a fire-breathing conservative activist or a federalist moderate like Roberts. Either way Bush is fucked. The right held their breath and accepted Roberts reluctantly so they want another Scalia/Thomas like Janice Brown but the dems will surely exercise the filibuster on someone like her which will lead to the nuke option.

it's official; i have a feeling she would've been an extremely conservative justice.

yeah, this is a huge surrender by bush. i wish she had gotten a hearing though. i believe her carreer could be severily tarnished now because she never had the opportunity to stand up for herself.

mm, janet brown and pricilla owen are on bush's list too.

while i do not think it needs to be a woman and it should be the best person up for the position, i think diversity on the court is a good thing. that includes a diversity of opinion, sex, and race. i think the court should be more than a bunch of old liberal white guys or a bunch of old conservative white guys.