Miers Withdraws Under Mounting Criticism

[askDNA]

WASHINGTON - Under withering attack from conservatives, President Bush (http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=President+Bush) ended his push to put loyalist Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court Thursday and promised a quick replacement. Democrats accused him of bowing to the "radical right wing of the Republican Party."

The White House said Miers had withdrawn her name because of a bipartisan effort in Congress to gain access to internal documents related to her role as counsel to the president. But politics played a larger role: Bush's conservative backers had doubts about her ideological purity, and Democrats had little incentive to help the nominee or the embattled GOP president.
The withdrawal stunned Washington on a day when the capital was awaiting potential bad news for the administration on another front — the possible indictments of senior White House aides in the CIA (http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=CIA) leak case. Earlier in the week, the U.S. military death toll in Iraq (http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Iraq) hit 2,000
President Bush said he reluctantly accepted Miers' decision to withdraw, after weeks of insisting that he did not want her to step down.
"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," Bush said. "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."
There were few regrets on Capitol Hill, from either party.
Sen. Trent Lott (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/ap/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_withdraws/16887060/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Sen.%20Trent%20Lott%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/ap/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_withdraws/16887060/SIG=117i5dk2a/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=342), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/ap/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_withdraws/16887060/SIG=11gl5mbmn/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=342)), R-Miss., told Fox News that the nomination had been a bad idea. "Let's move on," he said. "In a month, who will remember the name Harriet Miers."
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Miers capable but added, "This clearly was the wrong position for her."
"The radical right wing of the Republican Party killed the Harriet Miers nomination," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who had recommended Miers to the president.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist spoke with White House chief of staff Andy Card Wednesday night and offered a "frank assessment of the situation in the committee and in the full Senate," Frist spokesman Bob Stevenson said.
Miers' withdrawal means the justice she was chosen to replace, Sandra Day O'Connor (http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Sandra+Day+O%27Connor), will be delay her retirement further. O'Connor has been a swing voter on numerous emotional social issues, and more are set to come before the Supreme Court.
On Nov. 30, the court will hear arguments on New Hampshire's parental notification law for abortion, which a lower court said is unconstitutional because it lacks an exception allowing a minor to have an abortion to protect her health. O'Connor has been expected to vote to strike down the law. That case also could determine the legal standard for challenges to other states' abortion laws.
Also in late November the court may decide whether it will hear the Bush administration's appeal of a 2003 federal law that bans the type of late-term operation known as partial-birth abortion. Lower courts have said the law is unconstitutional, because it lacks a health exception.
Before Bush chose Miers on Oct. 3, speculation focused on her and two other Bush loyalists: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Bush's longtime friend who would be the first Hispanic on the court, and corporate lawyer Larry Thompson, who was the government's highest ranking black law enforcement official as deputy attorney general during Bush's first term.
Other candidates mentioned frequently included conservative federal appeals court judges J. Michael Luttig, Priscilla Owen, Karen Williams, Alice Batchelder and Samuel Alito; Michigan Supreme Court justice Maura Corrigan and Maureen Mahoney, a frequent litigator before the high court.
Miers and her supporters knew she faced growing odds against her confirmation.
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because Bush had not authorized him to talk for the record, said it had become increasingly clear that her nomination was facing a collision on Capitol Hill that needed to be prevented.
Polls show Bush is at the weakest point of his presidency with growing numbers of voters disapproving of his job performance and his policies on Iraq.
In her letter dated Thursday, Miers said she was concerned that the confirmation process "would create a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country."
She noted that members of the Senate had indicated their intention to seek documents about her service in the White House in order to judge whether to support her confirmation.
"While I believe that my lengthy career provides sufficient evidence for consideration of my nomination, I am convinced the efforts to obtain executive branch materials and information will continue," she wrote.
Since her nomination, there have been widespread complaints about Miers' lack of legal credentials, doubts about her ability and assertions of cronyism because of her longtime association with Bush.
In a letter on Wednesday, Sen. Arlen Specter (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/ap/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_withdraws/16887060/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Sen.%20Arlen%20Specter%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/ap/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_withdraws/16887060/SIG=117p02ae7/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=497), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/ap/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_withdraws/16887060/SIG=11gg4hb20/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=497)), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, sought assurances that Miers would show no favoritism toward Bush if confirmed as a justice.
Bush said she would remain as White House counsel.
"My responsibility to fill this vacancy remains," Bush said in a statement. "I will do so in a timely manner."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/miers_withdraws;_ylt=Aua8ENlg2VGTMVWlEiHUB6FuCM0A;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl


wootwootwoot

[ed316]

Wasn't that qualifield in the first place. She was just another of Dubya's cronies!

[pathfinder82]

Ouch...thats gotta hurt.

[rocket13]

Tough day for the president. But that was a poor candidate.

[towelie]

What a waste of time to nominate her

[dangerclose]

Good .. can Bush now stop trying to be friends with his enemies and act like he won an election for once?

Step 1. Nominate an ultra-conservative for supreme court justice.
Step 2. Cut taxes even further and cut all useless social programs.
Step 3. Overturn Roe vs. Wade.
Step 4. Bomb Damascus because they have it coming. And while we're at it .. kill everything in the Bekka Valley.
Step 5. Let Israel deal with Iran.
Step 6. Declare Christianity the official religion of the United States and institute mandatory school prayer.
Step 7. Deport or imprison the ACLU.




President Bush the dems are going to hate you anyways .. give them a good reason.

</pipe dream>

[EsoognomEhT]

She was reprimanded by Senators for giving "incomplete to insulting" answers to written questions.

hehehe sounds like Bush himself

[rocket13]

Good .. can Bush now stop trying to be friends with his enemies and act like he won an election for once?

Step 1. Nominate an ultra-conservative for supreme court justice.
Step 2. Cut taxes even further and cut all useless social programs.
Step 3. Overturn Roe vs. Wade.
Step 4. Bomb Damascus because they have it coming. And while we're at it .. kill everything in the Bekka Valley.
Step 5. Let Israel deal with Iran.
Step 6. Declare Christianity the official religion of the United States and institute mandatory school prayer.
Step 7. Deport or imprison the ACLU.



President Bush the dems are going to hate you anyways .. give them a good reason.

</pipe dream>


Haha thats funny!
I love number 6, best one yet!

[Thor]

Good .. can Bush now stop trying to be friends with his enemies and act like he won an election for once?

Step 1. Nominate an ultra-conservative for supreme court justice.
Step 2. Cut taxes even further and cut all useless social programs.
Step 3. Overturn Roe vs. Wade.
Step 4. Bomb Damascus because they have it coming. And while we're at it .. kill everything in the Bekka Valley.
Step 5. Let Israel deal with Iran.
Step 6. Declare Christianity the official religion of the United States and institute mandatory school prayer.
Step 7. Deport or imprison the ACLU.




President Bush the dems are going to hate you anyways .. give them a good reason.

</pipe dream>
You know what, you seriously got a point. :)

[ElHombre]

Good .. can Bush now stop trying to be friends with his enemies and act like he won an election for once?

Step 1. Nominate an ultra-conservative for supreme court justice.
Step 2. Cut taxes even further and cut all useless social programs.
Step 3. Overturn Roe vs. Wade.
Step 4. Bomb Damascus because they have it coming. And while we're at it .. kill everything in the Bekka Valley.
Step 5. Let Israel deal with Iran.
Step 6. Declare Christianity the official religion of the United States and institute mandatory school prayer.
Step 7. Deport or imprison the ACLU.

President Bush the dems are going to hate you anyways .. give them a good reason.

</pipe dream>

please make sure you clean up your drool (at least i hope it's just drool) afterwards. thank you.

[pistol]

The confirmation hearings would have been a hoot!

[Geezah]

Wasn't that qualifield in the first place. She was just another of Dubya's cronies!

What makes you think that?

[ed316]

What makes you think that?


Miers never served as a judge and her critics said her background as an attorney, a former head of the Texas State Bar Association and as a Dallas city council member provided few clues to her judicial philosophy.

[Geezah]

Miers never served as a judge and her critics said her background as an attorney, a former head of the Texas State Bar Association and as a Dallas city council member provided few clues to her judicial philosophy.

So you're baseng your comments on the views of others, I wonder how many other Supreme Justices have had any prior bench experience?

[ed316]

So you're baseng your comments on the views of others, I wonder how many other Supreme Justices have had any prior bench experience?


No, he could of chosen someone that was way more qualifield, but instead chose his buddy from back in the days.

[Geezah]

So you're baseng your comments on the views of others, I wonder how many other Supreme Justices have had any prior bench experience?

No, he could of chosen someone that was way more qualifield, but instead chose his buddy from back in the days.

More qualified in what way, more legal experience???????

Please.........

[Nikitaras]

Good .. can Bush now stop trying to be friends with his enemies and act like he won an election for once?

Step 1. Nominate an ultra-conservative for supreme court justice.
Step 2. Cut taxes even further and cut all useless social programs.
Step 3. Overturn Roe vs. Wade.
Step 4. Bomb Damascus because they have it coming. And while we're at it .. kill everything in the Bekka Valley.
Step 5. Let Israel deal with Iran.
Step 6. Declare Christianity the official religion of the United States and institute mandatory school prayer.
Step 7. Deport or imprison the ACLU.




President Bush the dems are going to hate you anyways .. give them a good reason.

</pipe dream>

Why do you hate the United States of America?

[ViktorNavorski]

Miers never served as a judge and her critics said her background as an attorney, a former head of the Texas State Bar Association and as a Dallas city council member provided few clues to her judicial philosophy.

John Marshall never wored the robe before becoming Chief Justice and he lost the only case he argued at the high court. Earl Warren, William Rehnquist, Felix Frankfurter, Louis Brandeis, etc. same thing. While all have been lawyer, 41 of the 109 justices had no prior judicial experience. It has never been an issue of most qualified, the key point is qualified. "Judicial philosophy" is just a nice euphemism for pathetic partisan litmus test.

[ed316]

John Marshall never wored the robe before becoming Chief Justice and he lost the only case he argued at the high court. Earl Warren, William Rehnquist, Felix Frankfurter, Louis Brandeis, etc. same thing. While all have been lawyer, 41 of the 109 justices had no prior judicial experience. It has never been an issue of most qualified, the key point is qualified. "Judicial philosophy" is just a nice euphemism for pathetic partisan litmus test.

I don't care about her anymore it's done and over with.

[Geezah]

John Marshall never wored the robe before becoming Chief Justice and he lost the only case he argued at the high court. Earl Warren, William Rehnquist, Felix Frankfurter, Louis Brandeis, etc. same thing. While all have been lawyer, 41 of the 109 justices had no prior judicial experience. It has never been an issue of most qualified, the key point is qualified. "Judicial philosophy" is just a nice euphemism for pathetic partisan litmus test.


I don't care about her anymore it's done and over with.

I can understand why you would not care about her anymore, but to say she is not/was not qualified is not true at all!

[ElHombre]

I can understand why you would not care about her anymore, but to say she is not/was not qualified is not true at all!

the republican senators who reviewed her application said she wasn't qualified.

[Geezah]

I can understand why you would not care about her anymore, but to say she is not/was not qualified is not true at all!


the republican senators who reviewed her application said she wasn't qualified.

Was it just the Republican Senators that said that or both sides?

Oh well, sucks to be a Dem, the GOP will get their way and no doubt a hardcore Right Winger will be put forward instead!

[ElHombre]

Was it just the Republican Senators that said that or both sides?

all the opposition to the nomination came from the right. the dems didn't have to lift a finger, they just watched the right take themselves apart.


Oh well, sucks to be a Dem, the GOP will get their way and no doubt a hardcore Right Winger will be put forward instead!

but that gives bush the problem he tried to avoid with the miers nomination. his base wants another scalia or thomas, a loudly-proclaiming, hard-right conservative. none of this 'stealth nominee' crap. but if bush takes that route he's in danger of losing (even more) support from moderates and it would make it nearly impossible to get such a nominee senate approval.

[Geezah]

Was it just the Republican Senators that said that or both sides?

all the opposition to the nomination came from the right. the dems didn't have to lift a finger, they just watched the right take themselves apart.

And there was me thinking that Harry Reid shot her down, and what about Barb Boxer saying she was a good choice but not lifting a finger to support her.



Oh well, sucks to be a Dem, the GOP will get their way and no doubt a hardcore Right Winger will be put forward instead!

but that gives bush the problem he tried to avoid with the miers nomination. his base wants another scalia or thomas, a loudly-proclaiming, hard-right conservative. none of this 'stealth nominee' crap. but if bush takes that route he's in danger of losing (even more) support from moderates and it would make it nearly impossible to get such a nominee senate approval.

Like I said, a hardcore Right-Winger will replace her and I think this is going to be another battle that the Dems will lose, they should have been more vocal in their support of Miers.

[ElHombre]

And there was me thinking that Harry Reid shot her down, and what about Barb Boxer saying she was a good choice but not lifting a finger to support her.

which sent the right-wing into an even bigger frenzy. they wanted bush to nominate someone the dems would scream out against. the repubs did all the work themselves in defeating bush's nominee.


Like I said, a hardcore Right-Winger will replace her and I think this is going to be another battle that the Dems will lose, they should have been more vocal in their support of Miers.

a right-wing loon may be nominated, but that's a far cry from getting senate approval. especially as the right has given so much ammo for the dems to use against any future nominee. the right is demanding someone who will publicly proclaim their adherence to 'conservative' values. that then gives the dems the reason to block the appointment through a filibuster. bush can either ram someone onto the court his base would approve of (which will alienate most of a public which is getting increasingly mistrustful of the administration's competence and motives) or he can try another 'stealth conservative' (which will piss off his base).

[Geezah]

And there was me thinking that Harry Reid shot her down, and what about Barb Boxer saying she was a good choice but not lifting a finger to support her.

which sent the right-wing into an even bigger frenzy. they wanted bush to nominate someone the dems would scream out against. the repubs did all the work themselves in defeating bush's nominee.

What did, the fact that Harry Reid spoke out against her or that Barb Boxer said she was a good choice but didn't do a thing to support her????




Like I said, a hardcore Right-Winger will replace her and I think this is going to be another battle that the Dems will lose, they should have been more vocal in their support of Miers.


a right-wing loon may be nominated, but that's a far cry from getting senate approval. especially as the right has given so much ammo for the dems to use against any future nominee. the right is demanding someone who will publicly proclaim their adherence to 'conservative' values. that then gives the dems the reason to block the appointment through a filibuster. bush can either ram someone onto the court his base would approve of (which will alienate most of a public which is getting increasingly mistrustful of the administration's competence and motives) or he can try another 'stealth conservative' (which will piss off his base).

Well, I guess we're have to wait and see, no doubt as I said before, the GOP will get what they want.

[ViktorNavorski]

a right-wing loon may be nominated, but that's a far cry from getting senate approval. especially as the right has given so much ammo for the dems to use against any future nominee. the right is demanding someone who will publicly proclaim their adherence to 'conservative' values. that then gives the dems the reason to block the appointment through a filibuster. bush can either ram someone onto the court his base would approve of (which will alienate most of a public which is getting increasingly mistrustful of the administration's competence and motives) or he can try another 'stealth conservative' (which will piss off his base).

rofl rofl rofl

You need to spend some more time in the Beltway.

[Geezah]

Well El Hombre, I hate to say I told you so, Harriet Miers would have been the best choice for the Dems, and to be honest I actually supported her.

The GOP got what they wanted and before you know it they will have their way.

[ElHombre]

Well El Hombre, I hate to say I told you so, Harriet Miers would have been the best choice for the Dems, and to be honest I actually supported her.

The GOP got what they wanted and before you know it they will have their way.

don't be so quick off the mark. the reps didn't get their way yesterday. this may point to how things are going to be in the senate in the future.