Why Miers

Has anyone stopped to ponder, why Harriet Miers? I mean really, was Bush merely looney? Did he want to divide his base? Why would Bush think his legal councel would make a good Supreme Court Justice?

If we dig a bit deeper, we see that Bush isn't stupid (sorry Mark), he merely plays one on TV. President Bush and his staff keep asserting that the know Miers very well. Since they have told us of their deep knowledge of her numerous times I will have to take their word. But if they know her so well, how could they think she would be a good judge in light of this.

Well, perhaps she is exactly what the NEED on the Supreme Court because of this and this.

As his councel, Miers worked to expand presidential powers on detaining terrorist suspects and the Patriot act. Bill Goodman of the Center for Constitutional Rights has sued the federal government over the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. He isn't the right-wing fringe type, but he too was concerned about the president filling the Supreme Court with cronies that share his desire to create a powerful executive branch without worrying about any check or balance from the Court. According to the Boston Globe, Miers was part of the legal crew that aided in the development of the Patriot Act and policy on detaining suspected terrorists.

The administration even admits this as a selling point on Miers. According to strategist Ken Mehlman in the October 4th issue of The Hill,

He said that as a former White House counsel Miers would know the importance of not letting the courts or the legislative branch “micromanage" the war on terrorism.

Bush also praises her views in his October 4th press conference,

What matters to me is her judicial philosophy; what does she believe the role -- the proper role of the judiciary is, relative to the legislative and the executive branch. (Emphasis added)

"What matters to me is her judicial philosophy. What does she believe the proper role of the judiciary is relative to the legislative and executive branch?" (Emphasis added)

So the power grab-bloated government idealogy is behind the Miers nomination. With an eye to future cases that could be coming against him and his policies, Bush has foisted what he thought would be a shoe-in on the American people. He just didn't count on his base being awake enough to challenge his nomination.

Ah, there is hope for fat, dumb and happy America yet.

sources: The New American, The Hill, Whitehouse.gov and Mark Shea