Whoever Bush nominates next, I am glad Miers is out.

Lets face it, this is a woman who simply could not do her homework, then turned it in at the last minute. Now, I have done the same thing more than I would care to remember, but I am in college and not nominated to the Supreme Court.

The reason the founders gave the Court lifetime appointments in the first place is that they worried that there would be such a small pool of worthy candidates, that getting rid of qualified ones via term limits would cause us to run out. Clearly, their first requirement was competence.

Miers was not qualified, on competence alone. Period, end of story. No consideration of ideology needed. Even though I know that the radicals were against her because of their litmus tests, its still good to see the senate as a whole standing up for its institutional perogatives and making the demand for documentation that Miers claims caused her to withdraw. The checks and balances in our system have been on vacation for too long.

Gonzales was embroiled in the torture thing. * is capable of nominating anyone.

he believed he could make anything so because it was his will.

Now his will has been thwarted.

And for that :applause:

So when the Mighty Republican Wurlitzer begins wheezing about an "Up or down vote! Up or down vote!" we can simply respond that Miss Miers didn't get no up or down vote. Hell, she didn't even get a committee hearing!

Whoever comes next, the Democrats have plenty of dry powder to use if the nominee is similarly unqualified, ideological or unsuitable.

Republicans get when it comes to their hypocrisy.

It's been said here before and the timing now seems to put up a couple flags on this end.

Note that booooosh nominated Miers after Rove's name came out about the Fitzgerald investigation...and the pick makes many think KKKKarl was too pre-occupied with saving his own bacon to have had much input...OR...that Harriet was to serve as a media distraction as this investigation wound down.

The timing...on the verge of Turdblossom and others getting up fron and personal with the criminal justice system...and at a very low point in this regime's popularity could be a diversion rather than a failure.

By nominating Miers, someone in that White House had to realize there was going to be questions...especially from the "strict constructionists" who have their own short list they've been trying to ram through the White House (Roberts was on that list...but far from the top). By pissing off this group, it created a distraction of infighting while the true ugly revelations of Rove, Libby and now Chenney are starting to pour out. Now that we're at the end of this process, Miers is no longer needed.

Next phase is the "rejuvenation". After all the bad news, this regime will need to circle the wagons and rally the base. No finer way of doing this for boooosh is to put up an "in-your-face" conservative that will unite his goons...and also bolster his sagging poll numbers and to try to minimize any damage from the Fitzgerald investigation.

Not only did I predict this nomination would never see a confirmation hearing (damn...I was hoping to have seen Dobson hauled to testify)...and I see this process now grinding to a halt as the combination of the scandals and the congressional clock will make it hard to push through a nomination and confirmation before the end of the year. That could put this seat still up for grabs into next year and then all bets are off.

Cheers...

it would be time to spike the ball in the endzone, do a touchdown dance, and talk some serious trash.

Watch all our senate candidates vow to protect the court from an out-of-control president. Watch us take back the senate.

Also, I doubt even this could distract from INDICTMENTS OF TOP OFFICIALS. There just isn't that much to talk about with Miers, and weeks of material with Rove and Libby. Depends on how long it takes Bush to put up another nominee, really. We shall see.

He said he personally asked Sandra Day O'Connor to stay on the bench through the end of this term. That's in June. Now that the current session is well underway, you'd think it'd be bad to break up the court's work by bringing in a new Justice. That's why most resignations/confirmation hearings are in the summer and early fall...before the session begins. Now any testimony O'Connor hears becomes null the moment a new justice is placed on the court and cases will have to be re-heard...or it could even have its merit reviewed.

Remember, we still have the "Gang Of 14"...these people are the ultimate gatekeepers as to who will or won't be confirmed. The deal, from what I see, is still in place as it keeps the power of this process in the hands of Specter and allows him to keep this regime from attacking him...he's too powerful. Kharma's a bitch when they tried to strip him of his chairmanship last year. LOL

Yes, this nomination could get bogged down and deferred well into next year...where the political pressure will make it very, very difficult for boooosh to ram through a right wingnut. He'll have plenty of other crap going on anyway. Being preznit is no fun sometimes. LOL.

the "gang of fourteen" will be null and void, and we will be free to filibuster without their help. We might even get enough to stop the nuclear option, if it came to that.

Look at how eager asshat was to get Harry Reid on board when he nominated Miers (not to mention all the grief Reid took) around this place in his very smart tactical wink-nod-non-endorsement. That was the first kiss of death as the right wing immediately wondered "if she's ok with Reid, something is up". Things went downhill from there. Kudos...Harry punks the GOOP again.

Yes, if the nomination is pushed into next year's election season, it puts heat on certain Senators...mostly Repugnicans who will be caught in the open rift between the fundies and the rest of their "base".

The interesting damage to assess...and still too soon, is how bad the rift between the fundies and the "other conservatives" have gotten. Will one spite the other just to show off the other? If the Bushbots couldn't have Miers, then the Brownback hacks won't get their choice either.

I'm going out to invest in a :popcorn: farm.

Cheers...