This morning I awoke to news that Harriet Miers had withdrawn her nomination to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court. The fact that this turn of events was expected does not detract from its proverbial statement about the condition American political system.
It is a sad day when a nominee not clinging to the extreme edge of the majority party has to withdraw her nomination. Was she too liberal for conservatives? Yes. She is most definitely a Republican, but too many questions remained unanswered in terms of her Litmus test ideology for hard-line conservatives. President Bush invoking executive privilege did not help matters.
How about too conservative for liberals? No, this is why they were so eager to pour on the praise the morning of her nomination. Harry Reid was the first person heard after the announcement praising Ms. Miers. Democrats knew that President Bush nominated a moderate conservative almost as an olive branch to them. Democrats are a minority by a fair margin, and this was the best it could get.
This situation makes me feel that no matter what President Bush did with his nomination, it would have been wrong. Nominating a hardliner would have caused a media uproar, especially in the context of Roe v. Wade. People across the political spectrum, save the fringe right, would have hated him more, if that were possible. So a moderate was nominated. A seemingly good choice at the time, but obliterated by the people who represent the farthest right.
A friend in high school used to tell me that you cannot be in the middle of the road politically or a truck will run you over. Seems fitting for this situation. Ms. Miers just got her clock cleaned by an 18-wheeler. I feel for her. It must be devastating and embarrassing and for no other reason than she was not an ideologue that would promote the GOP’s agenda. She would have at least been a competent Justice, but now we will never know.
