10.04.05
Harriet Miers Nominated for Supreme Court
Today, as Chief Justice John Roberts ushers in a new era on the Supreme Court, president Bush named Harriet Miers to be the next associate justice of the Supreme Court. She will be replacing the retiring Sandra Day O’Conner.
I first learned of this nomination on the Laura Ingraham radio show on my way to work this morning. What I heard made me think that this was the worst possible pick. A little later I caught some of Rush Limbaugh who eased my fears. You see, I have never even heard the name Harriet Miers until today so I had no idea what to think. All I had to rely on was the mainstream media, FoxNews online, and talk radio. I was beginning to become more and more optimistic as I listened to Michael Medved and Sean Hannity on my lunch break. Medved’s main point was that president Bush has made fantastic choices to the courts so far so there’s no reason to think he would depart from that now. I believe that president Bush is a man of his word and he promised us that he would put people on the court that would interpret the law and not seek to create law.
Then on the way home I listened to a little of the repeat of Laura Ingraham and she was very down on the president’s choice. This is something that baffles me as she is someone whom I have a lot of respect for. It is similar to the bizarre rejection of John Roberts by Anne Coulter who I also think is a fantastic conservative.
Some people are concerned that Ms. Miers has been praised by prominent Democrats. Keep in mind that these same people praised John Roberts and then voted against him anyway. Is it possible that they are just trying to get us to doubt that she is the kind of justice we expect? After all, if the Democrats are for her there must be something wrong with her. Right? Well that’s what the Democrats are hoping you’ll think.
I was also assaulted by a few minutes of what some call the raving, out-of-control, Michael Savage. I’m not surprised that he is making this out to be the equivalent of the Nazi holocaust (I don’t think he really said that but he relates everything to that). He is extremely pessimistic and cynical and doesn’t use rational thought processes at times. I generally can’t handle more than a minute or two of him and don’t put any stock in what he says. It’s just interesting to hear opinions from others even if those opinions are harmful to the Conservative cause.
Next I turned the channel to listen to Lars Larson and was very surprised that he has reservations about this nomination as well. His biggest concern is that she has never been a judge. He used the analogy of hiring a painter who had never painted before. With all due respect Lars, this is not the same as a skilled labor position. What we are talking about here is someone who can read the constitution and be able to interpret what it says without integrating their own beliefs. It’s important to note that there have been numerous other appointments to the Supreme Court who were not judges, including the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Not only that but it’s going to be hard for the Democrats to criticize her on these grounds since they have been stating for months that that is exactly what president Bush should do. His other concern was that he didn’t know how she comes down on the second ammendment. According to Ms. Miers: “It is the responsibility of every generation to be true to the founders’ vision of the proper role of the courts in our society.” She also said, “If confirmed, I recognize that I will have a tremendous responsibility to keep our judicial system strong and to help ensure that the courts meet their obligations to strictly apply the laws and the Constitution.” What more can you ask for? President Bush believes she is a woman of integrity and just last year said that she is, “a trusted adviser on whom I have long relied for straightforward advice.”
The great news is that so many of the people I have the most respect for are all in favor of her nomination: Dr. James Dobson, Jay Sekulow from the American Center for Law & Justice and many others.
I believe that Harriet Miers will be confirmed to be the next associate justice on the Supreme Court but not without the usual name-calling and scare tactics by liberal groups. No matter what she says or does the likes of Diane Feinstein, Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, and the rest will never vote for her. They will likely try to come up with some item that makes this nomination soar to the level of “extraordinary circumstances.” That’s the criteria needed to allow for a filibuster; it will never happen. She will likely not receive as many votes as John Roberts but it should be something like 65-35.