A Progressive on the Prairie

Musings on Miers

I heard Harriet Miers had asked Bush to withdraw her nomination on NPR on my way to work. A couple thoughts struck me.

First, it seems this is a White House bordering on either utter disarray or incompetence. It is incredible that the nudge, nudge, wink, wink of “I know her heart” didn’t get through to Bush’s base. How could all these people who blindly support his Iraq policy, tax cuts, etc., fail to take him at his word? Even more indicative of the disarray view is that this political machine failed to nudge and wink hard enough to bring the base in line. Or does this indicate a decision by Bush himself that reflects his own level of incompetence?

Second, it is stunning that it was conservatives who killed this nomination. What a rebuke to Bush — his own right wing, conservative Christian base basically slapped him in the face. While that doesn’t bother me all that much, it is frightening to see just how much power these groups wield. Essentially, they have just demonstrated they truly can dictate the actions of a sitting president.

What’s the bottom line? My thought is Democrats, liberals and the rest of the country better watch out for what’s coming next in terms of nominees.

P.S. I will soon be posting a review on a book that may be pertinent as it discusses and analyzes where we are in terms of prevalent theories of constitutional interpretation.

I noticed at the ceremony
Your corrupt ways had finally made you blind

“Idiot Wind,” Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks