Via Julian Sanchez, I was directed both to Randy Barnett’s interesting anti-Miers piece today in the Wall Street Journal and to Federalist Papers No. 76. I think Hamilton, Barnett, and Sanchez stake out a very different kind of opposition to Miers than the fundamentalist right.
There is an odd connection between Harriet Miers and John Bolton. The President stuck with Bolton despite mountains of testimony and evidence that compellingly demonstrated that John Bolton’s collective dossier was something that most Americans could not be inspired by or of which they could be proud.
That is a parody of a very thoughtful note that came into TWN this morning from a loyal reader regarding Jeffrey Gedmin’s pending “rumored” nomination as one of John Bolton’s right-hand people at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
Republican heavyweights are scrambling to hold their team together after the President’s nomination of someone whom no one other than President Bush seems to want. Republican National Committee Chief Ken Mehlman finally laid out the rationale for the right as to why they should be jumping for joy at Bush’s selection.
Tom DeLay thinks he can beat one indictment and be back at his Majority Leader helm in no time. But news is now just out that DeLay has been indicted by a separate grand jury on a different charge — this time, money laundering.
Sources say today that the Jeffrey Gedmin announcement will be made soon, probably within days. Since TWN first posted the news that Gedmin would join John Bolton’s senior team at the U.S. mission to the United Nations, we have been deluged with emails in support of and opposed to Gedmin.
This is very strange politics. Reid seems to be on board as one of Harriet Miers’ chief advocates. Click here to see Harriet Miers and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid.
Now the question is whether the Dems should just declare victory and call it a day regarding the Supreme Court — or whether there should be serious, open-ended deliberations about Miers’ views and qualifications ahead.
Air America Radio’s Al Franken Show producer Ben Wikler has done a great job of documenting David Frum “moving the target” on Miers: David Frum, former White House speechwriter, has come down hard against Miers. From his blog at the National Review: Harriet Miers is a taut, nervous, anxious personality.
President Bush nominated White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the vacant Associate Justice position on the Supreme Court. Bush had this to say about Miers: This morning, I’m proud to announce that I am nominating Harriet Ellan Miers to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
