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Jewish World Review Oct. 27, 2005 / 24 Tishrei, 5766 Where might it all end? By Bob Tyrrell
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
This takes the cake. In fact, this takes the whole
bakery. Usually intellectuals organize in committees or letter-writing
campaigns to liberate an incarcerated dissident or urge legislation for a
noble cause. During the Cold War I recall intellectuals organizing to "Ban
the Bomb" or, in one memorable instance, install intermediate-range missiles
in Europe. I believe I even served on that committee. Certainly putting
missiles in Europe is always a good idea.
Yet today we have intellectuals organizing over poor Harriet
Miers. In a way, I suppose, you could say they are agitating to free her.
They want her nomination to the Supreme Court withdrawn. That would be a
kind of liberation for her. Right now she sits over in her White House
Office cringing every time the telephone rings. No news for her would be
good news, but there is an abundance of news, and it is mostly bad. The
latest is that a group of conservative intellectuals is organizing against
her. Led by a former Bush Administration speech writer, David Frum, and a
former Reagan Administration official, Linda Chavez, they want the Miers
appointment withdrawn.
In the pre-tech days Linda might be leading a group of her
fellows on a march down Pennsylvania Avenue. She might be strumming a guitar
and singing "Where Have All the Strict Constructionists Gone?" David might
be chaining himself to the White House fence or howling to a glassy-eyed
throng. Oh, perhaps things would not go that far. After all, these are conservatives . When conservatives demonstrate, things are
more sedate. In fact, conservatives rarely demonstrate. Rather, they pay
taxes and vote. Yet these are conservative intellectuals, and this is the
era of High Tech. So these two and their colleagues have established a
website, BetterJustice.com, and they are calling for Miers to do the
honorable thing and withdraw. They also are raising money to pay for radio
and television ads.
All of this is unprecedented, at least for conservatives. I
cannot recall such opposition to a conservative presidential initiative
ever. Others are weighing in. There is a second website lambasting Miers,
WithdrawMiers.org. It has the support of Phyllis Schlafly's venerable Eagle
Forum, the Center for a Just Society, and something called Conservative HQ.
James C. Dobson's Focus on the Family remains steadfast for Miers, but among
conservatives, support is not gathering.
Where might it all end? Miers' liberal antagonists have yet to
mount their attack. One sees her at her hearings, calmly, perhaps coolly,
going through the first day of questions. Then comes the second day, and a
couple of conservative senators, either guided by principle or by concern
for their conservative base, fire off some acidic questions. She holds up
valiantly, adumbrating a rock-ribbed conservative value system. Then comes
the third day. Now the liberals thunder at her for her admissions to having
a rock-ribbed values system. After that I shall avert my gaze. It will be
very bloody.
Some conservative senators, most notably Senator Lindsey Graham
of South Carolina, insist they will stand by Miers, but if the liberal
Democrats are as united over this nomination as they have been over less
controversial nominations Miers' hopes are slim. As I wrote at the outset of
this row three weeks ago, a precedent is being set for anarchy in the
judicial nominating process. There is one plausible end game. But it will
not end the prospect of still more anarchy ahead.
The president has said he will not hand over documents relating
to Miers' work for him to the Senate Judiciary Committee. That, he says,
violates his lawyer-client relationship. He has a point. Certain obdurate
senators insist that they see these documents. They have no point. Far too
many confidential White House documents are being made public already. The
ability of White House aides to speak freely and provocatively to their
bosses is being hindered. Yet this impasse over Miers' documents might
create such a stubborn stalemate that another nominee will have to be found.
That might end this row and free the conservative protesters to depart from
their websites and proceed in a more conservative fashion. The thought of
Linda Chavez strumming a guitar in public is ridiculous.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Bob Tyrrell is editor in chief of The American Spectator. Comment by clicking here. © 2005, Creators Syndicate |
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