Don’t let anyone talk you into thinking that no one knows much about Harriet “I ♥ GWB!” Miers and how she stands on the hot-button issues of the day. The press is trying to paint her as some stealth nominee whose views are unknown. The Republicans and the Evangelicals are trying to pull some “we don’t think she’s conservative enough!” wool over our eyes. The Democrats are doing their usual — nothing — and hoping the internecine friction on the right will bring down her nomination.
Don’t buy it for a second. Bush and pals may be incompetent idiots when it comes to planning a war, running a war, managing an economy, reducing a deficit, preparing for a disaster, reacting to a disaster, making diplomatic friends, investigating intelligence failures, collecting anti-terrorism intelligence, saving the environment, defending the Constitution, and making America a better place for anyone making less than a million a year… but they are Hawking-level geniuses at politics.
They know exactly who she is and exactly how she will vote on everything. This supposed right-wing furor over her nomination will goad the Dems into inaction; they’ll not seriously obstruct her nor filibuster, then, poof, the Repubs’ concerns about her will disappear as they “take George’s word” for her. Next thing you know, a Roberts – Thomas – Scalia – Miers – Kennedy majority is overturning Roe and the red states start locking up formerly pregnant teen girls and the doctors who help them.
Now, as far as I’m concerned, the woman already disqualified herself by lying. She once said, “George W. Bush is the smartest man I have ever met.” If that’s not lying, then it is proof of an extremely small network of friends or a critical misunderstanding of the word “smart”, either of which do not bode well for a spot on the highest court in the land.
So Democrats, please, rent yourself a backbone and do all you can to oppose her nomination. You might want to start out by subpeoning these people:
(WSJ) Two days after President Bush announced Harriet Miers’s Supreme Court nomination, James Dobson of Focus on the Family raised some eyebrows by declaring on his radio program: “When you know some of the things that I know–that I probably shouldn’t know–you will understand why I have said, with fear and trepidation, that I believe Harriet Miers will be a good justice.”
On Oct. 3, the day the Miers nomination was announced, Mr. Dobson and other religious conservatives held a conference call to discuss the nomination. One of the people on the call took extensive notes, which I have obtained.
The call was moderated by the Rev. Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association. Participating were 13 members of the executive committee of the Arlington Group, an umbrella alliance of 60 religious conservative groups, including Gary Bauer of American Values, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation and the Rev. Bill Owens, a black minister. Also on the call were Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court and Judge Ed Kinkeade, a Dallas-based federal trial judge.
What followed, according to the notes, was a free-wheeling discussion about many topics, including same-sex marriage. Justice Hecht said he had never discussed that issue with Ms. Miers. Then an unidentified voice asked the two men, “Based on your personal knowledge of her, if she had the opportunity, do you believe she would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade?”
“Absolutely,” said Judge Kinkeade.
“I agree with that,” said Justice Hecht. “I concur.”
Shortly thereafter, according to the notes, Mr. Dobson apologized and said he had to leave the discussion: “That’s all I need to know and I will get off and make some calls.” (When asked about his comments in the notes I have, Mr. Dobson confirmed some of them and said it was “very possible” he made the others. He said he did not specifically recall the comments of the two judges on Roe v. Wade.)
Yeah, right.
