This is the meat of President Bush’s statement accepting Harriet Miers’s nomination withdrawal:
I understand and share her concern, however, about the current state of the Supreme Court confirmation process. It is clear that Senators would not be satisfied until they gained access to internal documents concerning advice provided during her tenure at the White House – disclosures that would undermine a President’s ability to receive candid counsel. Harriet Miers’ decision demonstrates her deep respect for this essential aspect of the Constitutional separation of powers – and confirms my deep respect and admiration for her.
I’ll just reiterate what most people are saying about that. Duh. What did President Bush expect to happen when he nominated his White House Counsel as a stealth candidate? With little other indication of her thinking, that’s what the Senate must fall back upon. He can’t pretend that this is the Senate’s fault. He wants the Senate to abdicate its responsibility, which I find as disturbing as the original nomination.
But this concerns me more:
I am grateful for Harriet Miers’ friendship and devotion to our country. And I am honored that she will continue to serve our Nation as White House Counsel.
Am I the only one concerned that she’s staying on as White House Counsel, providing legal advice on the Constitution when we now know enough about her grasp of Constitutional principles to make a decision?
C’mon Tony< Does it really matter who President Bush nominates. Don’t be so hypocritical.
I am very dissapointed in my fellow conservatives—— everybody deserves a fair shake—– everybody.
I have every intention of being fair about the next nominee because I think President Bush’s choice does matter. This will be a person with significant influence for the next generation. I don’t want a results-oriented justice, nor do I want a “government is always right” justice. I’m more worried about the latter, since government is already taking control of too much liberty. I’d rather have a limited-government conservative (libertarian!) over anyone else.
With that said, I am pessimistic about what we’ll get, but only because I’m not sure President Bush will get the message in the Miers debacle.