Strategy or Luck

10/12/05

Is this a brilliant strategy or is it just luck?

President Bush nominated Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. I have heard conservative pundits complaining ever since her name was released. The President has commented "trust me" and that she was a loyal and trustworthy nomination.

Rush Limbaugh is upset because he wanted a fight in the Senate. Some people are upset because they wanted a credentialed "Conservative" from the list of approved or vetted judges--Janice Rogers Brown or Priscilla Owen or Edith Jones or others often mentioned judges waiting in the wings. These conservatives are wailing about the bad choice so the Democrats are saying something along the lines of, "Well, if they hate her so much, maybe we want to support her."

I don't know what to think of her yet but I am intrigued by the idea that the president may be showing once again that he is so dumb that he outsmarts everyone again as he has done so many times in the past. Ms Miers is a total unknown to me but that doesn't tell me anything. The president trusts her. He says she is a strict constructionist. If you look at his other appointments, he gets good marks. He knows that the Supreme Court appointments will be one of the highlights of his legacy. Therefore, I think he truly believes that she will be an excellent Justice. I reserve judgment on the basis of trust but verify.

Interestingly enough, I have seen reports today that some of the aforementioned conservative judges turned President Bush down for the appointment due to the viciousness of the confirmation process. We all know that he seemed to be strongly wanting a female or a minority. If the women waiting in the wings turned him down, then Ms Miers could have been his last best choice.

Whichever is the case, it looks like fun!