Harriett Miers

I've been a big defender of President Bush when people have talked about cronyism. I believe that, as a person in power, you have to surround yourself with qualified people. I also believe that, given the level of power, you need to be sure that you can trust those people. I can't imagine being a congressman or President without a few of my friends around. People that I could trust to keep secrets, advise me well and be honest with me. I also think that, when it comes to emergency action, you go with the entities and people you trust. When you need to stop oil field fiers in a foreign war zone, you go with the company that has done it before.

However, I don't think that picking a friend for the Supreme Court is a very smart move. I find it difficult to believe that she could be the most qualified person out there. She has only been White House Counsel for a year (less actually). Prior to that she had a career that was distinguished only because she was the first woman to do alot of the things she did. There appear to be only two things that set her apart from others: That she's a woman and that she's President Bush's friend.

Were I a Democrat, I would be asking myself, "Why is the President putting her on the bench? What does he know that I don't?"  Were I a Republican, I'd be asking myself, "How much of the reasoning behind this pick is friendship? How much is that she's a woman?"

The President had painted himself in a corner on this one. He was going to take flak from Hispanics, Women, Democrats and Republicans no matter what he did. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next few days. I can't imagine that Republicans are going to be very supportive, however. There has already been quite a bit of backlash against her (Pat Buchanon, Rush Limbaugh etc). It's a long confirmation process and there are many unknowns:

How much is she going to say in public? Roberts was qualified enough that he could get away with secrecy. I don't see Ms. Miers getting that slack.
What is the ABA going to rate her? I think even ranking her "Qualified" would be a stretch.
How much of her writings are going to be released? The White House didn't release many of Roberts writings because of privilege. If they keep that tac with Miers they're going to have a large uphill battle.