Captain Ed has a GOOD ARTICLE on the Harriet Miers disaster.
(There’s also CONFIRMATION FROM BORK that the Miers disaster IS a disaster–from the man who knows more about confirmation disasters than anybody else.)
Captain Ed divides conservative blogger reaction to the Miers disaster into three camps: The (very tiny) Loyalist Army (who support the nomination), the (vast) Rebel Alliance (who don’t), and the Trench-Dwelling Dogfaces (who are caught between the two; the good captain counts himself as one of these).
When it comes to the Harriet Miers nomination, I’m a rebel!
I think that the situation is intolerable, and my views on the matter have hardened as I’ve learned more about it. (Helpful reminder: What’s mine is mine.)
Conservatives have worked for thirty years to have the opportunity to put together a constellation of Supreme Court justices in place that would be willing to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has led to TENS OF MILLIONS OF BABY-MURDERS IN THE U.S. thus far, with MILLIONS AND MILLIONS MORE TO COME.
Bush ran on the promise that he would appoint justices like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, yet instead of doing so in a straightforward manner and saying, "Hey, this is what I said I’d do," he switches to a stealth nominee strategy, which is precisely the kind of capitulation that gave us Darth Souter.
John "I don’t really have an overarching philosophy of consitutional interpretation" Roberts may well not vote to overturn Roe, and Harriet "I need a crash course in constitutional law before my hearings" Miers may not either. Bush has said that he has no anti-Roe litmus test on his nominees, and one has to take him at his word.
Further, the pressure he feels to go all stealthy with his nominees is a product of the PUSILLANIMOUS WAY IN WHICH HE DEALT WITH THE FILIBUSTER ISSUE IN THE FIRST PLACE (Warning: Evil registration requirement).
John Hinderaker over at Powerline is saying that "it’s time to move on" when it comes to protesting the Miers nomination, but I disagree.
If you’re a Republican first and a conservative second then it makes sense to want to quieten things down lest the party be so ruptured come 2006 that it suffers on Election Day.
But I don’t care a flip about political parties. I care about principle, and BABIES ARE BEING MURDERED OUT THERE (not to mention all the other HORRENDOUS unconstitutional things that SCOTUS has forced on us in recent decades).
Pro-lifers have worked too hard for too long to let a petulant president SQUANDER a chance to save millions of babies lives by shortening the abortion holocaust. This is THE MOMENT for which Bush was elected, and he’s blowing it royally.
I therefore DON’T think that it’s time to "move on." I think that it’s time for pro-lifers to send a STRONG MESSAGE to the Senate and the president that this is NOT what they were put in office for.
If Miers nomination can be derailed, great.
If not, a painful enough lesson can be taught that this DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN (and Bush is likely to get a third and even fourth chance to nominate someone).
That lesson may have to wait until 2006, but I’d rather have it learned now.
The sooner the better.
I’m therefore encouraging folks to enlist in the Rebel Alliance!
Call the president, too, and tell him how unhappy you are!
The White House comments line is 202-456-1111.
REMEMBER: ACQUIESCING AND FAILING TO PROTEST THIS DISASTER WILL ONLY ENCOURAGE SIMILAR DISASTERS IN THE FUTURE!
