Maybe they were never really with him. But it’s clear that conservative elites are abandoning George W. Bush in droves over the Miers nomination. Two recent examples:
Professor Bainbridge, a conservative law professor and blogger. Money quote: "Call me an intellectual snob if you want, but while I don’t insist on Ivy League credentials, I do insist on documented high power thinking." And again: "After Mike Brown, Julie Myers and Eduardo Aguirre, and five of the top 8 FEMA leaders, to mention just a few, I’ve had my fill of Bush cronies in high positions. And, yes, part of the disappointment is that Bush went with a crony when there are so many other vastly superior candidates out there."
George Will. Money quote: "The presumption … should be that [Miers’] nomination is not a defensible exercise of presidential discretion to which senatorial deference is due. It is not important that she be confirmed because there is no evidence that she is among the leading lights of American jurisprudence, or that she possesses talents commensurate with the Supreme Court’s tasks. The president’s ‘argument’ for her amounts to: Trust me. There is no reason to, for several reasons."
Meanwhile, President Bush in his press conference today said this of the Miers nomination, reiterating it several times: "I picked the best person I could find." He also answered "yes" to this question: "Mr. President, of all the people in the United States you had to choose from, is Harriet Miers the most qualified to serve on the Supreme Court?"
Now, either Bush was lying his ass off, or he believes he was telling the truth. I’m not sure which is scarier. In any case, his statements were certainly a gigantic insult to the entire federal judiciary.
Not sure if anyone has voiced this thought yet, but it seems like the “Conservative Intelligensia” see this pick as reflecting badly … ON THEM. Think about it, they are all fuming saying, Miers lacks the credentials (which she does) and wasn’t nearly the most qualified (which she wasn’t). But I doubt any of these conservatives (Will, Kristol, etc.) think Miers supports Roe, is in favor of equal marriages rights, etc. So why the hullabaloo? John Roberts was the perfect candidate for them. He was/is a humble, modest, more acceptable version of what they all wish Robert Bork had been. Roberts was/is as adept politically and he was/is qualified legally. All of these factors did a variety of things … include reflect well on the “conservative intelligensia.” This is where Miers lacks. Her nomination, to this crowd, is the equivalent of saying, “we had no one better in the bullpen so we had to go with this hardworking, loyal, staffer.”The vanity of it all is incredible. Not to mention it shows how much this crowd fears being exposed forn the hacks they are.
Maybe there’s a hullabaloo because they recognize that the Court is more important than any 4 to 8 year administration of EITHER party.