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 […]
There were several key updates on the Plame scandal over the weekend, each of which suggest the investigation a) hasn’t gone away; b) has a number of prosecutorial options; and c) may include leaders at the highest levels. The New York Times got the ball rolling on Saturday when it noted that none other than […]
Harriet Miers is the first Supreme Court nominee in a generation not to have ever served as a judge at any level. She held elective office once — serving one term on Dallas City Council in the late 1980s. But what she lacks in judicial and lawmaking experience, Miers makes up for in unswerving loyalty […]
Multiple rumors were swirling last week about Harriet Miers being Bush’s top choice to replace Sandra Day O’Connor. For a change, the rumors were true. President Bush has chosen Harriet Miers, White House counsel and a loyal member of the president’s inner circle, to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court, a […]