I have been following the debate very closely the past few days.
I have reached a conclusion, and I'm afraid that I don't have to wait for the Senate hearings. I am convinced that nothing can be said to soothe my concerns at this point.
It is time to explicitly come out AGAINST Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court.
I feel very bad having to criticize an entirely competent and very hardworking attorney for no other reason than someone else nominated her for a job that others happen to be better qualified for. But regretfully, the President's ill-advised decision leaves me with no choice.
My reasoning for this is best explained in the myriad of exhibits and other arguments that you will find linked below. I agree with the thrust of each of these arguments wholeheartedly.
Even in the best case scenario - if Miers happens to "vote right" on all of the big issues, it won't be enough. We need someone who will not only vote "right", but will also vote for the right reasons, and who will also write their opinions in such a way that it will actually embarrass the other side altogether. (Think of Scalia's particularly biting dissents - especially against the often-mushy thinking of O'Connor when she "swung" in the wrong direction on a case.) There is nothing to suggest that Miers is capable of that. (And bear in mind, it is STILL a big "if" that she will even vote well overall in the first place.)
If Bush wanted a woman with an anti-elitist background, why not pick Janice Rogers Brown?? She fits that category as well as the criteria outlined above.
There is also the bottom line argument, which to my mind is unassailable: With so much at stake, why would anyone want to take a chance WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT CANDIDATES THAT WOULDN"T FORCE US TO TAKE A CHANCE!
The arguments against Miers (in no particular order and which shall be updated on an "as needed" basis):
Some of us bloggers have taken a lot of heat from fellow conservatives (even within the Bear Flag League) for standing up for principle in the face of politics (i.e., voting against Republicans who are weak on immigration, coming out against Arlen Specter as chairman of the judiciary committee, etc.). Now is the time to stiffen our spines again.
Admittedly, it won't make any difference in the long run, but at least we can still look at our faces in the mirror. It will also put future Republican presidents on notice: this is not the kind of fight that they should run away from under any circumstances.
"No" on Miers!
Good for the country...Good for the soul.