Friday, April 26, 2024
Miles from the Mainstream
D. R. ZUKERMAN, proprietor
The Miers Nomination
and Other Matters

OCTOBER 9, 2005 --

The Meet the Press focus, October 9, was conservative opposition to the president's nomination of White House counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

In support of the nomination. Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention indicated his belief that Ms. Miers will decide cases the way President Bush would.

LPR is not certain his comment -- putting into question the idea of an independent judiciary -- is helpful to the nomination.

Pat Buchanan stated his opposition to the Miers nomination, asserting several times that she has a "tabula rasa" on important
constitutional issues. LPR understands this to mean that Mr. Buchanan is not certain how Ms. Miers would vote on another abortion case.

As LPR recently noted, judicial decisions are supposed to be reached at the conclusion of the case, not upon the filing of the controversy.

Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert noted that some prominent conservatives are calling on President Bush to withdraw the Miers appointment.

It seems to LPR that this advice, if taken, would raise even more questions about the president's second term leadership, questions which obviously are circulating, if current polls on his popularity decline are accurate.

If only the president, Karl Rove -- or someone in the administration would take counsel from Federalist 57 and make it clear that he stands with the people, not away from them.