It’s possible Bush isn’t aware of it (it’s more likely he just doesn’t care), but the White House has come under some criticism of late for having a “cronyism” problem. The president seems to fill just about every high-level government post he can find with a close and loyal ally, experience and qualifications be damned. […]
There’s a certain political reality that was hard to escape during John Roberts’ confirmation process — Republicans had 55 seats in the Senate and nary a one was prepared to break party ranks on this nomination. Can the same be said about Harriet Miers? I’m not entirely sure. About a week ago, the NYT had […]
So, you’re anxious to read up on Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. She has no public record, so it’s going to be a little tricky. After a cursory look, I can’t find any papers she’s published in the academic world, she hasn’t done much in the way of public speaking, and there’s no way on […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * North Dakota Gov. Gov. John Hoeven (R) announced late last week that, despite heavy pressure from the White House, he will not take on Sen. Kent Conrad (D) next year. The announcement, […]
It’s hard to read too much into announcement speeches, but there is a noticeable difference between the way in which Bush introduced John Roberts to the nation and the comparable speech for Harriet Miers this morning. With Roberts, Bush seemed confident that he was nominating an experienced professional with stellar credentials. “In public service and […]
The fight over the future of the Supreme Court is not just about abortion rights. There’s so much more at stake, including the wall of separation between church and state, civil rights and civil liberties, privacy rights, environmental protections, and the ability of the government to regulate businesses to protect workers and consumers. Having said […]
Last month, Pat Robertson became an international joke (again) by calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Last week, Tom DeLay solidified his reputation for corruption by being indicted on a conspiracy charge. No sane conservative wants to spend much time with either of them — so they’re spending time with each other. […]
The Note reported this morning that “one senior Democratic source on Capitol Hill confirms to ABC News that Democratic Leader Harry Reid signaled to Bush that Miers would be acceptable.” A statement from Reid’s office suggests this might be the case. “I like Harriet Miers. As White House Counsel, she has worked with me in […]
When a president is facing a scandal, he relies on his White House counsel. That doesn’t mean a president should pick his lawyer to be on the Supreme Court. Mickey Kaus raised this point last week with a poignant analogy. Cheryl Mills did an excellent job loyally defending Bill Clinton. But if Clinton had nominated […]
About a month ago, the inspector general for the Department of Education wrapped up a probe of the agency’s proclivity for paying pundits to promote the president’s policies. The investigation’s final report said there was a systematic problem, but no laws were broken. Federal investigators probing the Education Department’s public relations contracts have found a […]