Miers chickens out

[emad]

US top court nominee steps down <br> <br> <br>The Texas lawyer nominated to the US Supreme Court by President George W Bush, Harriet Miers, has withdrawn as a nominee to the court. <br><br>Ms Miers, who has served as White House counsel for Mr Bush but has no judicial experience, has come in for criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. <br><br>She was reprimanded by Senators for giving "incomplete to insulting" answers to written questions. <br><br>The withdrawal of Ms Miers is seen as a significant blow to Mr Bush. <br><br>Her decision comes amid tense times for the White House, which is currently waiting for news on possible indictments of senior administration figures in connection with a CIA leak case. <br><br>Mr Bush's approval ratings have meanwhile been plummeting, and his apparent inability to push his choice through is thought likely to raise fresh concerns as to what he can achieve in his second term. <br><br>Bipartisan opposition <br><br>Ms Miers' nomination had drawn criticism from both sides of the political divide. Harriet Miers' decision... confirms my deep respect and admiration for her <br><br>US President George W Bush <br><br>Conservative Republicans were sceptical of Ms Miers' suitability for the court on ideological grounds. <br><br>Several questioned her attitudes on the touchstone issue of abortion, while others doubted her understanding of constitutional law. <br><br>Democrat opponents accused the president of cronyism, pointing to personal memos sent during Mr Bush's days as governor of Texas as evidence that her friendship with the president was her chief qualification for the job. <br><br>Clashing interests <br><br>In a letter confirming her decision to withdraw from the nomination process, Ms Miers wrote that continuing to seek Senate approval would prove to be a burden on the White House. <br><br>It would not be in the interests of the US to reveal details of her work within the White House, she added. <br><br>Mr Bush praised Ms Miers for her decision, which he said was motivated by a desire not to allow Senators access to confidential White House documents. <br><br>"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," Mr Bush said. <br><br>The president said he would fill the Supreme Court seat, due to be vacated by Sandra Day O'Connor, in "a timely manner". <br><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/hi/world/4382370.stm">newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/hi/w...382370.stm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[zangtang]

'It would not be in the interests of the US to reveal details of her work within the White House, she added.'<br><br>ho ho ho......methinks that depends on what the meaning of 'interests of the US' is....is is <p></p><i></i>

[banned]

Personally, I think what did it for her was seeing Gilbert Gottfried's cruel impersonation of her on the Tonight Show.<br><br><!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :p --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif ALT=":p"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Buh-bye, Harriet. <p></p><i></i>

[firstimer]

They control the timing. It consumed half of the coverage today and even more yesterday. What is the public not hearing about? Plame gate details and unanswered questions. There is literally no time to get into some obvious loose ends that the press and some blogs are loathe to get into.<br><br>There was never an intention to put up such a weak candidate. They bring her down, get the Religous right to forget about everything else they wanted from Bush. He now has brownie points with them going into this Fitzgerald thing. They will get the bad word out on Fitz and create the illusion of resistance to the indictments. For the news to spend too much time reporting on it.The real resistance will be comprimised and minimised. Then (November, December?) The war on Syria will start, and when the Fitzy trials start next year the US will be so fucked up that nobody will care about indictments.<br><br>Here we go again on the merry go round.<br><br>Firstimer <p></p><i></i>

[albion]

CBS News:<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The Miers Conspiracy Theory</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>[...] Many smart people have suggested to me in the weeks since Miers was nominated that she never was serious candidate for the Supreme Court; that she was, instead, a sacrificial lamb.<br><br>Under this scenario, which is only mildly paranoid when you think about it, the president picked Miers knowing that her nomination ultimately would fail but also knowing that in failing the conditions would be riper for the selection of the sort of ultra-conservative “red meat” Supreme Court candidate the president’s right-wing covets.<br><br>The Miers’ nomination, in other words, was designed from the get-go to clear the path for the President’s true choice.<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/27/opinion/courtwatch/main986536.shtml?CMP=OTC-RSSFeed&source=RSS&attr=HOME_986536">www.cbsnews.com/stories/2...OME_986536</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>Frankly that's more or less what I suspected the moment I first heard she was totally under-qualified. <br><br>BTW, it's intersting to see the MSM using "conspiracy theory" without the usual scoffing and eye-rolling, and almost without any nervously self-deprecating "I don't usually wear a tinfoil hat but..." type remarks. <br><br>All of a sudden, conspiracies are in season. <p></p><i></i>