I've got an equally queasy feeling that he picked her because she's his friend and he thinks a lot of her. I get the impression the backlash from the right is a surprise to him.

Er, I think that he will get more a s*storm with this pick than with anyone, except for Janice "Atlas Shrugged Lochner" Brown.

Miers is a, gasp, religous pro-lifer, and an evangelical, which the left hates even more. She is almost not a stealth but a spear because she seems like a surefire "no on Roe" vote without the great legal genius mind of a Luttig or Brown or McConnel.

I am willing to wait until she is confronted by the Left's Legal Mindtrust to see how well she can handle things like questions and answers.

Ace - if you're right, then he did exactly the wrong move. He just ticked off his base, so who is going to support him through all those indictments? I mean, what would we be "fighting for" if he's just going to nominate a nobody? If he nominated a firebrand, his base would go to the mattresses for him, regardless of what indictments might come down the pike for Rove et al.

What surprises me is that Bush usually pushes forward, regardless of criticism. I expected him to nominate a full-on conservative who would rankle democrats (just for the hell of it). But he chose a stealth candidate. I fully believe she'll vote conservative on every issue. I don't think Bush felt the need to draw blood. For the first time he seems less arrogant (to liberals), simply because he isn't going to rub democrats faces in with a blatantly conservative choice. She "is" such a choice, nonetheless. I expect my party to happily vote for her. Why? It's a win for dem senators because they look like they didn't get steamrolled by Bush this time. But we are being sucker punched and that's what's so ironic and "funny".

The problem with Owen was that the conservatives weren't on board.

So Bush picked someone with even fewer conservative bona fides.

"I am willing to wait until she is confronted by the Left's Legal Mindtrust to see how well she can handle things like questions and answers."

Given her career thus far, I'd imagine she can handle it. Maybe not with "I'm not even trying here" panache of Roberts, but she is an attorney of some consequence. If she can't, well then she deserves to go down in flames. Of course, if she does flame out, it's a blow to tokenism and quotas. Seems win-win to me.

Seriously, my first reaction to her was similar to that of a lot of other conservatives, but the more I heard, the more I thought - this is total BS. What the hell is wrong with being an actual practicing attorney? Most law profs I know couldn't poor piss out of a boot without instructions on the heel - and not every judge speaks with the wisdom of Sophacles.

I mean, lawyers working at firms, putting in the 20 hour days - they are the folks that have to deal with the consequences of (poorly written, contradictory, idiotic...) Supreme Court decisions on a daily basis - why not actually put one on Court? Maybe she will bring a dose of procedural common sense to the decision writing - someone who has actually had to ask herself : "OK, so how do I address the issues raised by this prcedent with multiple partial concurrences and dissents without driving my associates to drink (more) and my client in to the poor house?"

That said, she is an unknown quantity, so the hearings are pretty important - for Roberts, it was just a mater of seeing if he was as good in person as he is on paper. For Meirs, it is a final exam - but one which she should, at least on paper, be capable of passing without a problem - and if not, well, that's why we have hearings.

I feel debate on this nomination should be promoted and not silenced by the moderates. The below WP article speaks for many conservatives.

…… “the president consulted with 80 United States senators but didn't consult with the people who elected him”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/05/AR2005100502200_pf.html

The link below to a left wing blog is a good example. Look what happens when you nominate your personal lawyer to the highest court in America.

Let Lawrence Littwin testify at the Miers nomination hearings
http://loadedmouth.com/node/2155

This is the beginning just wait until they go through her law firm’s business conduct. This will be ugly.

They will pull the nomination within two weeks.

who is going to support him through all those indictments?

Indictments?? WHAT indictments? Rove? Oh, you mean like the Delay laughable bullshit indictments?

I think y'all might be letting moonbat propaganda get to you. Malkin even used the term "quag-miers." RELAX, y'all. I feel like I'm talking someone off a damn ledge!

You'd think Bush nominated Lawrence Tribe to replace O'Connor, from the way people are getting so paranoid and suspicious.
I can't believe so many have succumbed to the memes of the left.

"mostly base politics now. You can win if you animate your base "

So, you're comfortable with the margin of victory the last two times around?

Funny. Glancing at your archives, it seems you were sweating bullets like the rest of us.

51.8% is nice and all, but let's think big. Think Rudy. Think 55+%, 350+EVs, 35+ states.

You gotta beLIEVE!

How you get a-rude and a-reckless?

"I feel like I'm talking someone off a damn ledge!"

It's the Lord's work.

Heh. OK, I'll quit. ;-)

Can't we just shitcan Frist instead of blaming everything under the sun on Bush alone? I mean look at Trent Lott--he just said some stupid shit once and he was history.

How about Tancredo for Senate Majority Leader? He'd go nuclear!

(I kid, I kid.)

I'd rather see all the Harriet Is The Antichrist people calling for Frist's job, than what they're doing right now.

For those still supporting Miers, try these on for size:

(1) Miers’ close friend of 20 years says she’ll be "in the mold of Sandra Day O’Connor".

(2) Miers supported imposing "affirmative action" (sex-based) on the local fire department, as well as race-based redistricting for the local city council.

(3) Miers also (same link) doesn’t like the Federalist Society (as others have previously noted).

(4) Miers shot down a Christmas address for being too Christian.

(5) Miers said her favorite S Ct Justice was "Warren". I’m sure she meant the ultra-liberal Earl Warren, though she subsequently claimed the undistinguished and unconservative Warren Burger.

Does this sound like a good pick to you?