Thursday, October 27, 2005
Harriet Miers-Where Bush Went Wrong
I keep hearing the talking heads say that it was the "extreme right wing" of the Republican party that brought down the Miers nomination. But I also heard Dr. James Dobson tell his listeners that she was a good choice. I watched Ralph Reed defending her nomination on one of the Cable networks a few days ago. Just what IS the "extreme right wing" of the party?
I visit a few blogs on my daily adventures. Lately I've been reading those hosted by Republicans or at least vote Republican in almost every case. The way I observed things among the blogs is that it was socially LIBERAL Republicans who were most opposed to this nomination. I also got the sense-from the very beginning of the "rebellion"-that many of the loudest whiners were either known bloggers looking for more notoriety or Drudge wannabes.
I've stated this before, but I must again-there are many things that I think President Bush has done wrong. I supported his re-election because of his stand on the war. I could never have voted for the euro-American, John Kerry and could not have lived with myself if my vote was wasted on the independent/otherworld candidates and the jerk won!
I hate what is happening on our borders-especially our southern one. I don't LIKE the measures that are being explored as solutions by the Bush administration. They don't make sense to average Americans who want to preserve our way of life. But I DO understand that this world has changed over the last few years-changed rapidly, unpredictably. Today that change is only increasing in velocity-speeding off into a...umm...er....yes! A New World Order-it's unmistakeable and unstoppable. The proverbial Genie has been let out of the bottle. The Internet and global free-trade is re-arranging the world as we all breathe. So, as a reasonable thinking citizen who is NOT a Republican but only a man who tends to vote Rebublican, nationally, I can kinda understand what the administration is trying to do with their proposed immigration policies.
I am appalled at the way the President and congress are spending money. How will Republicans ever be able to say they are good stewards of the country's coffers, again? It's for this reason that I'm glad that he's in his last term of office.
However, although I was floored when he named Harriet Miers a few weeks ago and couldn't understand why he did it, I trusted his judgement on the pick-still do as a matter of fact. She wasn't given the chance to face the Senate, so we'll never know whether she was qualified or not. We'll never know what kind of Judge she'll be. We'll never know whether she was a "Scalia" or a "Souter". Which brings me to the point of this rambling post. Where did her nomination go wrong?
Personally, after thinking a while after the announcement, knowing his previous judicual nominations, I thought Bush had made a brilliant political move! I still believe if the loudmouths of the blogosphere had held their fingers back from the keyboard for a few minutes they may have realized this, as well. But those itching for a Senate-chamber brawl did not get their way. So they started screaming, stomping and holding their breath. But this is not what killed the nomination.
What killed the nomination is the President's reaction to the quasi-republican rebellion. HE should have taken a few breaths before promoting his nominee's evangelicalism. Up until the moment he began defending her by revealing her religious beliefs she was sure to be affirmed by the Senate. When he went in that direction it woke up the starry-eyed Democratic Senators who had been charmed by the President's pick-not fatal in itself because the Republicans still had the vote. The most crucial thing that his actions caused was to stiffen socially liberal Republicans' resolve to oppose the nomination. If you'll recall, the abortion issue was never a real issue in this internal quarrel. The opponents cloaked their social concerns with claims of her lack of qualification. They questioned her obvious intelligence. This is what I believe sealed Ms. Miers' fate.
Mr. President, don't blame conservatives for this. Blame the freaking liberals....whatever clothing they may sport!
I visit a few blogs on my daily adventures. Lately I've been reading those hosted by Republicans or at least vote Republican in almost every case. The way I observed things among the blogs is that it was socially LIBERAL Republicans who were most opposed to this nomination. I also got the sense-from the very beginning of the "rebellion"-that many of the loudest whiners were either known bloggers looking for more notoriety or Drudge wannabes.
I've stated this before, but I must again-there are many things that I think President Bush has done wrong. I supported his re-election because of his stand on the war. I could never have voted for the euro-American, John Kerry and could not have lived with myself if my vote was wasted on the independent/otherworld candidates and the jerk won!
I hate what is happening on our borders-especially our southern one. I don't LIKE the measures that are being explored as solutions by the Bush administration. They don't make sense to average Americans who want to preserve our way of life. But I DO understand that this world has changed over the last few years-changed rapidly, unpredictably. Today that change is only increasing in velocity-speeding off into a...umm...er....yes! A New World Order-it's unmistakeable and unstoppable. The proverbial Genie has been let out of the bottle. The Internet and global free-trade is re-arranging the world as we all breathe. So, as a reasonable thinking citizen who is NOT a Republican but only a man who tends to vote Rebublican, nationally, I can kinda understand what the administration is trying to do with their proposed immigration policies.
I am appalled at the way the President and congress are spending money. How will Republicans ever be able to say they are good stewards of the country's coffers, again? It's for this reason that I'm glad that he's in his last term of office.
However, although I was floored when he named Harriet Miers a few weeks ago and couldn't understand why he did it, I trusted his judgement on the pick-still do as a matter of fact. She wasn't given the chance to face the Senate, so we'll never know whether she was qualified or not. We'll never know what kind of Judge she'll be. We'll never know whether she was a "Scalia" or a "Souter". Which brings me to the point of this rambling post. Where did her nomination go wrong?
Personally, after thinking a while after the announcement, knowing his previous judicual nominations, I thought Bush had made a brilliant political move! I still believe if the loudmouths of the blogosphere had held their fingers back from the keyboard for a few minutes they may have realized this, as well. But those itching for a Senate-chamber brawl did not get their way. So they started screaming, stomping and holding their breath. But this is not what killed the nomination.
What killed the nomination is the President's reaction to the quasi-republican rebellion. HE should have taken a few breaths before promoting his nominee's evangelicalism. Up until the moment he began defending her by revealing her religious beliefs she was sure to be affirmed by the Senate. When he went in that direction it woke up the starry-eyed Democratic Senators who had been charmed by the President's pick-not fatal in itself because the Republicans still had the vote. The most crucial thing that his actions caused was to stiffen socially liberal Republicans' resolve to oppose the nomination. If you'll recall, the abortion issue was never a real issue in this internal quarrel. The opponents cloaked their social concerns with claims of her lack of qualification. They questioned her obvious intelligence. This is what I believe sealed Ms. Miers' fate.
Mr. President, don't blame conservatives for this. Blame the freaking liberals....whatever clothing they may sport!
