Are conservatives not seeing the forest, here? Pat Ruffini lays it out the way he sees it:

Some would prefer a nominee in a more esoteric, elitist, or eccentric mold, with the penmanship of a Scalia. Harriet Miers will not be the flashiest Justice – but nor will she make leaps of logic that sometimes lead her in unconservative and unpredictable directions (see McConnell on polygamy, or Scalia on pornography). This is not the time to act like preening Ivory Tower elitists, but to call Harry Reid's bluff. Miers will cast the votes that O'Connor wouldn't. And that's all that matters.

Posted by: Gary at 08:49 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter Four is posted.

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Taking what Dick Cheney told Rush Limbaugh today ("Trust Us") along with the myriad of opinion on this nomination and mixing it in with what I have observed of Bush over the last five years, I have a whacky theory here.

Bush knows Harriet Miers as well as anyone. She was his personal attorney. Through their friendship (and under the protection of the Attorney-Client privilege) I would imagine that they've discussed every political issue under the sun as it relates to the judiciary.

She has no paper trail. Conservatives are losing their minds. Liberals are breathing a sigh of relief.

What if...

Harriet Miers gets confirmed without having to reveal any opinion on any particular case - thanks to Roberts. Then, once on the bench for the rest of her life, she goes full Right-Wing Ninja?

Just a thought. This White House doesn't do anything without considering the long-term implications. Five years from now, will Miers be the new "darling" of Conservatives on the Supreme Court, surpassing even Scalia and Thomas?

Hey, it's the only thing that makes sense. It's so...Rovian!

Posted by: Gary at 04:20 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Ex-Donkey, thank you, this is the first rational post on the subject I have read today. When has Bush ever really let down his conservative base? Is there any real reason to think he would do it now? He isn't stupid and I am sure he knows what her opinions are on a range of important subjects. He would not appoint someone who he disagrees with. Its time for the right to show some faith in Bush. Just because he didn't pick someone who is combative or going to cause a fight does not mean that he "chose from a position of weakness." The word here is "stategery".

Posted by: Paul at October 03, 2005 05:15 PM (97/fu)

2 You are getting trackback for this one!

Posted by: Ryan S. at October 03, 2005 05:42 PM (HAY6t)

3 Or, what if she's the red herring? A Karl Rove ruse? Put up to be struck down so an even more right wing judge can be nominated and Repubs can say...you can't keep striking down our nominees...

Posted by: marybishop at October 03, 2005 07:32 PM (I8s+f)

4 No. If she's "struck down" it'll be because Republicans voted against her. Democrats don't have the power to vote her down. There are only 44 of them. Try again.

Posted by: Gary at October 03, 2005 08:26 PM (RNJ7+)

5 The saddest thing I have read in a long time are all of the comments that suggest all these ulterior motives. What a sad place we find ourselves in.

Posted by: Jack at October 04, 2005 01:58 AM (xkBQr)

6 In order for our stealth conservative to get through without the battle so many were looking forward to, we conservative bloggers need to keep acting outraged and let down. :wink: I was a bit agitated yesterday, but feel better today about the nomination pick. Unlikely the other past picks by conservatives, like a Souter, this President personally knows Miers. It might be a weakness of his; but it could also be a strength, if he accurately assessed the character of Miers.

Posted by: Wordsmith from Nantucket at October 04, 2005 10:07 AM (nrGCx)

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Wow. This one seems to be melting down fast. It's becoming more and more apparent that Miers may be unacceptable to enough Conservatives as to lead to a rejection in the Senate. The comparisons to LBJ's nomination of Abe Fortas are flying fast and furious.

Michelle Malkin has the best round-up and Memeorandum has many, many links.

It's starting to look to these eyes that this was a tremendous political blunder if for no other reason than the position this will put GOP Senators in. After lambasting Democrats for voting against Roberts on purely ideological grounds, many Republicans in the Senate will look like they are doing exactly the same thing (though to put this in perspective, Miers' lack of experience as a judge is a major factor as well).

This is probably worse than a Gonzales nomination. If Dems are smart, they will just step back and let this play-out. Of course, since they aren't they're sure to jump right in.

Ouch. Can we get a "do-over" here?

UPDATE: Drudge reports Miers gave $$ to Clinton/Gore. The final nail?

UPDATE II: Confirm Them "confirms" that the above is just a false rumor. While she did give to Gore in '88, she never gave to Clinton.

It seems Miers is a recovering Democrat like myself.

All this hysteria reminds me of that scene in Airplane, when the flight attendant announces that they're out of coffee.

UPDATE III:
Hugh Hewitt and BeldarBlog are appealing for calm. Their perspectives are very well worth considering.

Posted by: Gary at 11:00 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 I was really hoping for someone that would really get the Dems in a twist ... like David Duke.

Posted by: mdmhvonpa at October 03, 2005 12:13 PM (6x1mQ)

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It will take a little while for the smoke to clear and be able to look at this one with some perspective, but the initial reaction from Conservatives ranges from confusion to outrage.

Keep in mind that in the first hours (and even days) following the announcement of Roberts there were similar rumblings of discontent (remember how apoplectic Ann Coutler got?). That Miers is a Conservative is not really in doubt. But the general feeling I'm getting from the Right side of the Blogosphere is that this was a blown opportunity to appoint someone in the Scalia/Thomas mold and that it's at best 50/50 that Bush will get a chance to make an third appointment before his term runs out.

This is going to be an interesting week.

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A new "feel-good" take on a classic horror movie.

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One of the biggest concerns the Left had about Bush's next nominee was that - like Roberts - he or she would be a "stealth" nominee. That is to say they feared getting a nominee without a record of decisions or public statements. For this would would make it very difficult to portray that nominee to the American public as "extreme".

Well, they got stealth in spades here. While her legal credentials are OK, she has never been a judge. And Roberts already reinforced the Ginsberg precedent of not commenting on specific cases.

So where does that leave the Left? First and foremost expect them to paint Miers as a Bush crony who will be influenced by her loyalty to the President when deciding any case. It's already started. The Washington Post, in its article announcing Miers' nomination reports that here Bush is "reaching into his loyal inner circle for another pick that could reshape the nation's judiciary for years to come." more...

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UPDATE: 4:45pm
GIANTS WIN, BABY!!!!!!

Final score: Giants: 44 Lambs: 24
Eli was 19 for 35 with 296 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. An excellent game. The Giants are (right now) the highest scoring team in the NFL. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

The lambs played hard but when you give up 5 turnovers in the NFL you can put your money down that you're going to lose.

I'm proud of these guys. Next week: the Bye. Let's hope Coughlin is better after the week off than Fassell was.

Statistically speaking, both teams are pretty evenly matched. However, the Rams are the stronger and more seasoned team here. The big question is whether or not the Giants defense is able to bounce back from their horrible performance of last week. If they do, New York can win this. If not, it's going to be a long season.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch most of this game. And most of the country won't be watching because there is much more excitement in the AL Wildcard race today.

So, here's hoping Coach Coughlin was able to get his players heads in gear this week. In any event, expect both teams to air the ball out quite a bit.

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Although the foliage seems to be a wee bit late this year, the colors were at least beginning to show during my trip to Southern Vermont on Friday and Saturday. But then, when you're staying at a place like this:

who cares?

But the leaves weren't the only colors out. There were lots of "colorful" characters roaming the streets of Bennington this weekend. more...

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1 It's online, here: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_19_55/ai_108409995

Posted by: rightwingprof at October 02, 2005 01:13 PM (hj1Wx)

2 There's a reason I won't buy Ben and Jerry's.

Posted by: rightwingprof at October 02, 2005 01:35 PM (hj1Wx)

3 Interestingly both of the vehicles you show parked by the convenience store are from out of state.

Posted by: Al at October 03, 2005 01:04 PM (tIyxL)

4 This is true. I did notice it at the time. But while the flag van is from Joisey, the peacenik van is from New York, the border of which is less than ten miles away. So I at least consider that one to be somewhat "local".

Posted by: Gary at October 03, 2005 01:32 PM (PLHs9)

5 Funny - the peace sign is the footprint of a chicken - that's good. This one is even funner: http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=769u8

Posted by: JB at October 03, 2005 06:46 PM (Paguy)

6 Nice link. But tell me what's worse. A politician who never served in the military but supports them unconditionally in a time of war, particularly in the pursuit of protecting American citizens or a politician who DID serve in the military but turns his back on it when they need the support the most because they're beholden to a bunch of Left-Wing, America-hating Fruit Loops?

Posted by: Gary at October 03, 2005 08:23 PM (RNJ7+)

7 How do we go about applying for a grant to ear-tag and radio-collar the hippy protestors? 'Cause I don't think there are as many as it might seem, and study of their migratory patterns might prove illuminating.

Posted by: Ed Flinn at October 04, 2005 09:09 AM (Kms9r)

8 Wonderful post even so , I was wanting to know if you could write a litte much more on this topic? I'lbe very thankful if you could elaborate a bit bit further. Bless you! outlet http://www.haiguinet.com/blog/index.php?p=206027

Posted by: outlet at December 24, 2012 08:33 AM (tqetx)

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The good professor of Right Wing Nation made a pilgrimage to the sight in Shanksville, PA where Flight 93 was driven into the ground on 9/11. The flight's crew and passengers understood that they were to be used as a weapon against America and they said "No". They fought back.

These men and women deserve to be remembered as heroes. No idiotic crescent of red trees could honor them nearly as appropriately as what already stands on that hallowed ground.

The report is well-documented with photos, accompanied by his narrative.

Due to the number of pictures, it may take some time to fully load. It's worth the wait.

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Well, made it back OK. Had a great trip. Got some interesting photos of Southern Vermont. Man, it felt like this little corner of New England has been invaded by moonbats.

More tomorrow, when I can make a proper report.

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