Harriet's Withdrawl

HarrietMiers disparages Harriet Miers' withdrawel from consideration. Atrios has some good points: that the left has every right to demand more from a nominee, but that the Right, in reactionary anger, killed this nomination because they want a conservative activist justice that will force upon society their puritanical ideological desires.

Also just listened to Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on C-SPAN talk about his concerns on the judiciary committee. His take- the pretext of the "oncoming crisis over turning over documents" was just that- a pretext. Paraphrase: He gives us a nominee who has no documented judicial philosophy and then refuses to give us the documents which would explain her judicial philosophy. That's a pretext for something else. And that the Pretext of this stonewall allows the Preznit a convenient way out of not pleasing his base and not divulging secrets.

Schumer offers this insight- You'll notice that both the nominees thus far have been stealth nominees. We know little about them and they can't release the documentation to provide knowledge about them. Bush is doing this because he's stuck "in a box." The conservative base, filled with vitriolic demands, wants a very conservative justice to determine the law from the bench. Yet the American People do not want that- they want a justice more in line with O'Connor- a moderate more sensitive to the culture. So- rather than dealing with either of these two issues, The Administration nominates near unknowns.

Interesting thoughts. Schumer thinks that the better solution is a clear nomination with clear dialogue from both sides.

Of course... this isn't something of which I think The Administration is capable.